


Maybe I'll get drunk again to feel a little love

by PrettyCalypso



Category: Shameless (US)
Genre: Angst, Bottom Ian, Explicit Sexual Content, Heterosexual sex (a little), Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, M/M, Mutual Pining, Recreational Drug Use, Rough Sex, Some Shameless violence, also a lot of drunk situations, and also bottom Mickey, and general internalized homophobia, and language (obviously), and weird sexual situations, best friends au, slow burn (not for the sex though), some homophobic slurs, tags might be added
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-10
Updated: 2016-07-31
Packaged: 2018-06-07 15:32:26
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 25,360
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6811186
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PrettyCalypso/pseuds/PrettyCalypso
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Another Best Friends AU, because this fandom doesn't have enough! (sense the irony)</p><p>Ian and Mickey work at the same diner and have been friends for a few years. But one morning, after a party, things change.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The engagement party

**Author's Note:**

> I started writing this fic on a plane back in October, but never went past the 1st chapter. I went back to it a week ago, and what was supposed to be a short 2-chapters fic ended up being 15 chapters long with angst, kind of slow burn, and a lot of sex. Oops...
> 
> Not beta'd, and edited on my phone so kinda messy, sorry (I might come back to it later on my computer).
> 
> Also, Ian & Kira are coming back, don't worry, I just don't have my files with me right now. :)

 

"To Jason, who finally grew the balls to propose to the love of his life, and to Steph, the future ball and chain of this brave man."

From the end of the table where he was standing, Ian raised his glass to celebrate the engagement of his friends. The rest of the guests followed his lead, and, soon, glasses were ringing all around the large makeshift table composed of several pieces of furniture put together, and joyful cheers could be heard. The redhead looked around and couldn't help the smile from forming on his lips. He was twenty-four years old and his life was finally on track. His meds were balanced, and he hadn't had a serious episode in about two years ; he had a steady job at a local diner, he would be graduating from college soon, he had finally left the Gallagher house to move into this nice, affordable apartment, and he had the most amazing friends - Jason and Steph, the happily engaged couple, Ryan, the only actual friend he had left from his dark past at The Fairy Tail, David and Simon, who were actually Jason's friends, but still nice people, Lisa and Claire, the future bridesmaids, giggling with Mandy, who probably had one too many, and Mickey, Mandy's older brother, but also Ian's favorite coworker at the diner and his best friend, who had brought the girl he had been dating for a couple of weeks now, Danielle, or Denise, Ian wasn't sure from how little Mickey talked about her. Ian Gallagher's life was good. A few years back, he couldn't have imagined being happy without a boyfriend, or at least a regular fuck buddy, but here he was, and he couldn't have asked for more.

David and Lisa took turn in making small speeches following Ian's, and soon enough Claire was putting on some music, and people started dancing.

 

~~~

 

Mickey sat heavily on the couch. Dancing was really not his thing, he was way more comfortable looking at other people making fool of themselves and judge them for it than participate. Even though the music was fast and upbeat, Jason and Steph were just standing in each other's arms, lips devouring lips. Around them, all the others were jumping up and down, moving their hips in rhythm with the songs, and just having drunk, silly fun. Mickey's eyes automatically shifted to Ian and Mandy, his best friend and his sister, dancing together like idiots, not caring a bit about being uncoordinated. God, they were such dorks... For the first time in his life, Mickey had a best friend, or just friends in general, and these people, and especially Ian, were so nice, so caring and welcoming, and just so easy to be with. Most of Mickey's Friday nights were spent playing video games with them, or sometimes just with Ian. When the redhead had told him he was gay, Mickey's fists had been ready to punch. But then he remembered he wasn't the South Side thug he used to be anymore, that he was far away from the Milkovich clan, and that the idea of "right sexuality" his father had filled his head with during all of his childhood and teenagehood was just wrong and hateful. And now he didn't mind - too much - listening to Ian talk about his love life.

Dani dropped on the couch next to him and grabbed his arm. She kissed his cheek softly.

"You're good here?"

Mickey nodded, and took a sip of his he-didn't-know-how-many beer. She kissed him again.

"I have to go, early shift tomorrow. But you can stay here, I'll just take a cab."

Mickey gave her a small smile.

"Okay."

 

~~~

 

The party died slowly, people leaving one after the other. In the end, it was just Ian and Mickey - Mandy being the only other person who had stayed, but who was already fast asleep on the couch. Ian started to clean up the apartment, and his friend tried to help but wasn't able to stand up from his chair without almost falling on the ground.

"Hey there! You okay?" Ian asked while catching Mickey's arm.

Mickey sat right back on his chair.

"Fuck! When did I become such a lightweight?"

Ian smirked.

"When you passed 25 and stopped getting wasted every night?!"

"Haha. Very funny."

"You wanna stay here tonight?"

"And what? Sleep on the floor?"

"You can take my bed. Come on Mick, you can barely walk, how you gonna get home?"

Mickey sighed.

"Alright, alright, Gallagher."

Ian helped support Mickey to his bedroom until the other man crashed face first on the mattress, and started snoring immediately. The redhead just smiled, and went back to the kitchen to finish cleaning. When he was done, he took a few covers and a pillow from the closet in the hallway, and created a makeshift bed on the floor of his bedroom. He stripped down to his boxers and tank top before lying down. He was just about to fall asleep when he heard his name being called in the dark. He raised his head to meet Mickey's eyes, looking at him from the bed.

"Come on man, I'm not gonna let you sleep on the floor. Get up here!"

Ian complied without arguing, and both men laid next to each other, while still keeping a safe distance between them.

 

~~~

 

Mickey woke up when the light of the sun crept from the window. He must had forgotten to close the curtains before he went to bed last night. Wait... This wasn't his bed, and this wasn't his bedroom, and he wasn't alone... Oh, right, Ian. Mickey vaguely remembered being too drunk to drive back home, and even if he didn't remember, the light pounding in his head was telling enough. He was still fully dressed, and felt his phone vibrate in his jeans' pocket. He reached for it, only to find out the text was just an ad. The very early hour though made him want to go back to sleep. He was about to go close the curtains when he caught a glimpse of Ian laying on his back next to him, the sun illuminating his body in just the right way. Mickey kept staring, the red hair looking like fire, the freckles popping out on the white skin... he looked so peaceful, so beautiful... Mickey felt his dick twitch. Shit. He could lie and pretend it was the first time, but it wasn't. Ian was handsome, Mickey knew that, he admitted that - only to himself though - but actually being physically attracted to him, that was a whole other story. He should have moved, stopped staring, maybe call Dani or something, but he didn't. And Ian slowly woke up, opening his eyes and yawning.

"Morning." he said with a smile when he saw Mickey looking at him.

Maybe it was because he was still half drunk, but Mickey didn't even take a second to think before he leaned in and kissed his friend. Ian froze for a few seconds, and Mickey started to see his mistake, but soon enough the redhead was kissing Mickey back, grabbing his face in his hands, pushing his tongue in his mouth. Mickey accepted it with such hungriness it was almost scary. He felt Ian's hands running under his shirt, trailing down to his ass. God, it felt so good... Mickey mirrored his friend's movements, until he reached the waistband of his boxers. He hesitated for a second. Did he really want to do that? Ian's lips left his mouth to kiss his jawline, his neck, his shoulder, staying a little longer there, sucking harder on the skin. Oh yes, Mickey did want to do that! A low moan escaped his lips, and he went for it, putting his hand in Ian's boxers and grabbing his hardening cock. Ian's breathing accelerated when Mickey started jerking him the way the black-haired man usually liked on himself, and the redhead began to mirror the action. In no time, both men were jerking each other off, breathing heavily in each other's mouth. They increased speed at the same time, trying to bring the other faster to the finish line. And Mickey came first, Ian's hand felt so good on him, better than anything he had ever experienced. Ian wasn't far behind though, spilling in Mickey's hand with a deep grunt coming directly from the back of his throat. It felt weird to have another man's jizz all over his fingers, but it was also sort of very fulfilling for Mickey to have been able to do that.

  
From obvious experience, Ian didn't waste time in cleaning them up, before resting his forehead against Mickey's. It seemed that he wanted to say something, but, thankfully, Mandy's sleepy voice on the other side of the door interrupted him.

"Ian? Do you have any aspirin?"

"Shit!" Mickey breathed, before rolling out of bed and zipping his pants back up. "I gotta go."

 


	2. The diner

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ian tries to make sense of what happened.
> 
> Entirely in Ian's POV.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I met a certain redhead, you know with the freckles and the pale skin, kinda alien-looking, who told me I should go skiing. Yep, that happened. :D  
> (and our conversation was SO random ^^)
> 
>  
> 
> EDIT: I changed the title of this fic. I'm still not fully satisfied, and it's super cheesy, but I like it slightly better. If you have any suggestions, please let me hear them.

 

Ian stayed stuck, half lying in bed, for a few minutes. He watched Mickey freak out and put his clothes back on. He watched the other man open the door of the bedroom and grunt to his sister while walking past her. And he watched Mandy repeat her question with a yawn, her eyes barely keeping open. Aspirin. Yes, right. The redhead finally got out of bed, and went to the bathroom. He gave the much needed pill to Mandy, and took in meds while he was at it. It was only when Mandy had left and Ian had took a shower that realization hit him. What had he done? He had always found Mickey attractive, and had wished more than once the guy wasn't straight, but never to the point of actually doing something about it.

Well... thinking of it... Mickey had been the one to kiss him. Mickey had been the one to reach for his dick first. What the fuck?

 

~~~

 

The restaurant was in mid-rush when Ian got in for his dinner shift. He liked to come in early and study in the back. His apartment was too calm, and with his Gallagher background he was used to study with noise and messiness surrounding him.

Mickey came in an hour later, promptly ignoring Ian and going for his locker, changing his shirt in silence. The redhead closed his school book and stood up.

"Hey Mick." he tried with a gentle voice.

"Gallagher." Mickey politely greeted him, before closing his locker and leaving for the main room of the diner.

Ian followed him.

"Mick, you can't ignore me! We need to talk!"

He was stopped dead on his tracks by Greta, the bust-in-the-balls manager in her mid-50s, who shoved a piece of clothing in his chest.

"Apron. And table six is already waiting. Get to work."

Ian sighed, and silently obeyed, seeing as Mickey was already taking orders at his own tables.

 

~~~

 

"What's with you today?" Iris asked, pocking a finger in her ginger friend's ribs.

Ian had been standing near the counter for a minute too long, looking straight ahead into space, or maybe just at Mickey.

"Nothing." he shrugged.

"Don't tell me you're pining again for this closed case?! Mickey is straight as hell, I thought we already went over this."

"First of all, my minuscule crush lasted only like two days when the guy first arrived here." the redhead answered. "And second I'm not pining. He's my friend, that's all."

Iris smiled.

"Sure. But you wouldn't kick him out of bed if it came to it!"

This morning's events came back in flashes to Ian's mind.

"Would you? Kick him out of bed?" he asked his friend.

"Ah maybe... I like them blond and muscular, Australian style you know? Or unattainable redheads..."

Ian stifled a laugh at that. Iris and him always joked about her undying crush on him, but, of course, never went further than that, and they never hesitated in trying to hook the other up with random guys.

"Are you still trying to get into his pants, Iris?" Mickey's voice suddenly said, making Ian jump - last time he checked the man was on the other side of the diner. "I thought this was a done deal."

"A girl can dream Mick... But as usual, even you'd had more chance to get into his pants than me..."

Ian saw his friend tense. Iris didn't seem to notice, and it only lasted a couple of seconds before Mickey was laughing again.

"Don't think Dani would let me."

"Oh yeah, right." the girl grinned. "How's the lady?"

"Bitchy."

"Aren't we all Mick? Aren't we all?"

Both of them laughed, until Iris turned to Ian, who wasn't really participating in the conversation.

"Ian? You alright there? You look awfully pale. Talking about girls making you sick now?"

The redhead didn't even react to the teasing, and shook himself out of his wandering mind in which Mickey was bending, naked, over this very counter.

"M'fine. Got costumers to serve."

And with that, he took a few steps away from his friends. He wasn't sure what had happened exactly. Two hours ago, Mickey was ignoring him, and now he was joking with Iris about getting into the redhead's pants. What the actual fuck?

 

~~~

 

"You comin'?"

"What?"

Mickey looked at Ian like the redhead had lost his marbles. The black-haired man closed his locker with a loud _bang_ and repeated himself slowly.

"Tonight. Movies at Mandy's. You comin'?"

"Er... Yeah..."

Ian watched as Mickey grabbed his wallet and keys and walked toward the door.

"Mick?"

The redhead saw his friend's shoulders tense, but the man turned to face him anyway. They were the only two left in the locker room, but Ian still felt like he needed to be cautious in his choice of words.

"Don't you think we should maybe talk about this morning?"

"No, I don't think we should. I was still half-drunk and not really awake, so forget about it."

"But Mick..."

"Nothing happened Gallagher. Okay?"

Ian nodded unwillingly.

"Okay."

 

~~~

 

The night at Mandy's was torture. All Ian could think about was Mickey's lips on his own, and his hand on his dick. But all he could hear were horrible kissing noises, and all he could see was Danielle being all over Mickey - her _boyfriend._

"Could you tune it down a notch?!" Mandy finally shouted in the general direction of her brother. "We're trying to watch a movie here! Jesus Mick, I don't remember you being so kissey-kissey with your girls before..."

Mickey shrugged, and glanced very discreetly at Ian - who ignored him and turned back to the TV - before standing up, dropping Danielle unceremoniously on the couch.

"Anybody want another beer?"

"Babe, you already had three." Danielle whined.

"Yeah, so?"

"I need one!" Mandy exclaimed, making Danielle pout in her seat. "If I have to put up with your PDA one more minute, I can't do it completely sober."

"Ian?"

The redhead didn't meet his friend's eyes when he raised the bottle he was holding.

"Already had my one and only for the night."

Mickey nodded and went to the kitchen, only to come back shortly with a cold bottle for Mandy and two more for himself, sitting a few inches away from Danielle. But the girl made a fast job of climbing back onto his laps. Mandy sighed. And Ian tried to focus all of his attention on the movie.

 

~~~

 

Mickey and Danielle left as soon as the movie ended - the girl was, indeed, very bitchy. Mandy asked Ian if he wanted to stay a little longer and maybe watch something else, but the man politely declined, stating he was tired - which, in all honesty, he kinda was after a night of witnessing Mickey and his girlfriend making-out.

Once finally home, the redhead slipped into a pair of sweatpants and climbed in bed with a book he was supposed to read for class. An hour and eleven pages of dense literature later, he was about to fall asleep when a loud banging on the door made him jump right back awake. He dragged his feet to the front door of his apartment and opened it to catch an unstable Mickey. And a smelly Mickey too.

"Shit Mickey. Are you drunk?"

"Nope. Maybe... Don't care."

The redhead closed his door and directed his friend toward the couch. The black-haired man crashed on the cushions.

"Are you okay?"

"Fine..." Mickey slurred, making weird movements with his hands and arms.

"Come. Come here."

Ian took a step closer, and Mickey was finally able to grab his hand, pulling it fast enough for Ian to loose balance and almost fall on his friend. The few seconds it took him to stumble back on his feet were enough for Mickey to kiss him hard on the lips. Ian didn't even think before reciprocating, kissing Mickey back just as hard. But when he felt the other man's tongue against his lips, the redhead pulled away.

"No. No, no, no. You're drunk, and I'm not doing that so you can ignore me tomorrow. Not again."

Mickey looked adorably cute with a pout on his face, but Ian had to be strong.

"Sleep here. I'm going to bed. See you tomorrow."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Iris is my spirit animal. Or just... me. ^^
> 
> And I try my best to make Danielle human, but I don't really like her...


	3. The apartment

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mickey has to deal with his girlfriend, with his landlord, with his sister, and with feelings slightly unwelcome.
> 
> Mickey's POV.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Mickey has sex with Danielle in this chapter, it's not super explicit, but if you don't want to read that please skip the part in italics (although I would not recommend you do that because in my humble opinion it's the best part of the chapter, you'll see why).
> 
>  
> 
> Also, I changed the title of this fic again (I know right?!), but this is the last time. Thank you so much StarryEyedKat for suggesting me Ed Sheeran's "Drunk", and for helping me find a title I finally like.

 

Mickey woke up with his head pounding. On a couch. Fully clothed. Thank fuck. But he wasn't home. He recognized the layout of the apartment fast enough from having been there more than a few times. He was at Ian's. What the hell? He remembered leaving Mandy's place last night, driving Dani home, and then... then he went to a bar. Alcohol was calling him, for some reason. But after that...

 

A door opened. Another closed. Sound of the shower running. Door again. And steps. Coming closer and closer.

 

“Hey. You awake already?”

 

Mickey looked above the back of the couch to witness Ian turning the coffee machine on.

 

“How did I get here last night?”

 

“I don't know, you just showed up at my door. Why?”

 

Ian took two mugs from a cupboard, and Mickey massaged his temples.

 

“I just don't remember much...”

 

“What do you remember?”

 

Mickey tried to search as far back in his memory as he could.

 

“I drove Dani home, I went into a bar, and then... pitch-black.”

 

“Oh. Okay...”

 

Did Ian look almost disappointed? Mickey sat up straighter on the couch, he was beginning to worry now.

 

“I didn't do anything stupid, did I?”

 

Ian shook his head, and turned back to the kitchen, putting a pan on the stove and breaking eggs in it.

 

“Not that I know of. You showed up here around one am, wasted. And you crashed on my couch. That's it.”

 

Mickey nodded absentmindedly.

 

“Okay. Thanks for the hospitality.”

 

“No problem. Wanna stay for breakfast?”

 

Mickey took his phone out of his pocket, and saw the three missed calls, as well as the late hour.

 

“No man, I gotta go. I'm already late for my shift, and Greta's gonna have my ass.”

 

~~~

 

_Couple more thrusts. A low moan. Here, there you go. Close your eyes. Green eyes, red hair. No, nope, don't close your eyes. Danielle. Focus on her. Her round breasts, her blissed out face, her legs around your waist, her soft hands on your elbows. Hands that should be larger. And skin that should be paler. With more freckles... No, you're losing it again. Thrust. Thrust. She likes it. That's good. But do you like it? Really, do you ever like it with her? Or with the last one, did you like it with the last girl? Thrust. Thrust. Grunt. Larger hands. Paler skin. Freckles. Red hair. Green eyes. No, no. Not now. Fuck._

 

~~~

 

Mickey came with a deep groan, and quickly rolled out of his girlfriend, not even bothering to find out where she was at. What had just happened? Did he just come thinking of...? Oh no. He took a cigarette from the pocket of his pants lying on the floor, and lit it, sitting against the headboard. But Danielle wanted to cuddle. Mickey wasn't a big cuddler in general, but right now the idea of the girl's sweaty skin touching his was actually making him gag.

 

“I gotta go.”

 

“But...”

 

“I have a meeting with my landlord, I can't be late.”

 

Okay, the meeting was in an hour, and his apartment was only twenty minutes away, but Mickey didn't say that as he put his clothes back on and walked quickly toward the door. The sooner he would be out of here, the better.

 

~~~

 

“Of course I won't have you pay full rent during this time.” Mr Rotenberg, the landlord, concluded. “But if you don't come back after these two months and until the end of your lease, I'll have to charge you until I can find a replacement.”

 

Mickey nodded, agreeing to this utter bullshit. The building he lived in would be closed down for “intense plumbing work” for the next two months, leaving him barely a week to move out, and of course his landlord would still take money from him during this time. Mickey was pretty sure none of this was really legal, but he had other shit in mind. Like his redheaded best friend for example.

 

“So, I guess I'll see you back here in two months?”

 

“Yeah, guess so...”

 

Once the rich fucker was out of sight, Mickey took his phone out of his pocket. He hesitated for a moment. Who should he ask for a roof? The choice would have been obvious a couple of weeks ago, but today he knew he couldn't risk living at Ian's, not until he had figure out what was happening, why he couldn't stop thinking about his friend at the most inappropriate moments, or... all the time for that matter. So he called Mandy.

 

~~~

 

“Tell me again why you're not staying with your girlfriend?” Mandy asked while taking the last box out of the trunk of her brother's car.

 

“One, we've been dating for barely a month. Two, the less time I spend with her, the more I appreciate her.”

 

“So why don't you break up with her?”

 

“Thinking about it.”

 

Mandy pushed the elevator button, and the doors popped open, already waiting for them from their last trip.

 

“A month huh? Well at least it lasted longer than with the last one... Mona right? But you haven't break the _'Kelly record'_ yet. What was it again? Four months, two weeks, three days, and five hours!”

 

“Shut up. Girls are bitches.”

 

“Maybe you should switch to guys then. I'm sure Ian wouldn't mind talking you through it, or even introducing you to the glorious world of gay sex...”

 

“Having a dick up my ass isn't really my idea of fun.”

 

And while he said that, Mickey tried really hard not to imagine Ian's dick. In his ass. Or anywhere else for that matter.

 

“Talking about the ginger devil, why aren't you crashing at his place? Trouble in paradise for you guys?”

 

Mickey let his sister open the door of her apartment, and dropped his box on the floor, next to the others.

 

“Nah, he just has a lot of work with school, and I don't want to screw with his routine you know?”

 

“But you don't mind screwing with mine?”

 

“You're my sister. That's what you're here for.”

 

“You're lucky I love your pale ass and put up with your bullshit, you know that?”

 

~~~

 

_My milkshake brings all the boys to the yard._

 

Mickey groaned.

 

_And they're like, it's better than yours._

 

The man opened his eyes painfully. What the fuck?

 

_Damn right it's better than yours._

 

Realization settled on him: Mandy's phone was lying somewhere in the living room, and her alarm was resonating through the apartment.

 

_I could teach you, but I'd have to charge._

 

Mickey buried his face deeper into the pillow. Fuck!

 

“Mandy!”

 

_My milkshake brings all the boys to the yard._

 

“MANDY!!!”

 

Receiving no answer, Mickey stood up. His sister's clothes were scattered all around the floor, as well as very distinctive male clothing. Oh yeah right, Mickey remembered seeing that and swearing a lot last night when he came back from his late shift at the diner.

 

_And they're like, it's better than yours._

 

The man finally spotted the phone, and picked it up to turn the alarm off. It was only when the apartment came back to full silence that Mandy's bedroom door opened, and a lanky naked guy came out of it, covering his crotch with one hand. Mickey ignored him and went to sit back on his bed – also called “the couch” – turning his own phone on. While the guy fumbled with his clothes in the background, Mickey noticed he had a billion texts from Danielle asking him why he hadn't come by last night. Oh yeah right, he might had forgotten. Or just didn't want to go. The woman was starting to really piss him off. Mandy would nag, but whatever, he would break it off as soon as possible. True, Mickey had had a lot of girlfriends and they never stayed long, but the man wasn't made for a relationship. Once the sex was starting to feel less good, he'd bolt. And lately sex with Danielle was just not happening on Mickey's part. For some reason, he couldn't stop thinking about Ian. This morning a few weeks ago had been the biggest mistake of his life. Since then, their relationship had definitely changed, and Mickey missed his old Ian, the one with whom he would drink beers and watch movies, play endless games of X-Box, and have private jokes about pretty much everything. But this mistake, as big as it was, had also brought one of the most intense orgasm Mickey had ever have. No woman knew how to touch him like Ian did, or to kiss him with such passion...

 

Mickey's phone buzzed in his hand and dragged him out of his daydream.

 

_[From Dani] I really need to talk to you. Come by tonight?_

 

Mickey sighed. Well, he really needed to talk to her too, maybe he could be a man and do it face to face.

 

_[From Mickey] Okay. Your place tonight. 8pm._

 

~~~

 

“So, how's life at Mandy's?”

 

“Kinda sucks. She's messy, more than me, and brings guys home almost every night. Nobody wants to hear their sister moan like that, I'm telling you man!”

 

Ian hinted a small smile.

 

“You know you can come to my place if you need. My couch is open.”

 

Mickey nodded.

 

“Thanks. But I don't want to intrude. Plus I might start spending more nights at Dani's.”

 

Ian's face fell a little, and Mickey felt the tiniest bit of guilt. Why had he said that anyway when he was planning on breaking up with the girl?

 

“But we're still on for Friday night, right?” he couldn't help but add. “Need for Speed. I want my revenge! And I'm gonna kick your ass!”

 

Ian shrugged, before starting to walk away toward his table of waiting costumers.

 

“Not sure I'm gonna make it. Lots of work for school.”

 

This time, it was Mickey's turn to be disappointed.

 

~~~

 

Dani took two bottles of Arizona from the fridge and put them on the table. Mickey hated that shit, tea, he wasn't fucking British! But whatever, he was trying to be nice here. Dani sat across from him with a serious look on her face.

 

“Look Mickey, things aren't really working out between us...”

 

_My thoughts exactly!_

 

“... But I need you to be my boyfriend for a little while longer.”

 

_Wait what?_

 

“Three months. My cousin's wedding is in one, she's always on me about how I can't keep a man, so I need you to be my date, and then stay with me for some time after that. We don't have to be exclusive, although I'd rather we are, give us a second chance and all that, but if you wanna fuck someone else I'm okay with it. I just want you to tell me, and be discreet please.”

 

Mickey swallowed dryly.

 

“And if I'm not okay with any of that? If I want to break up now?”

 

Dani looked at him with a scary intense gaze he had never seen on her before.

 

“I could pay you.” she started. “But we both know I'm not rich enough for it to be lucrative for you. So if you don't do it, I'll reveal your little secret.”

 

Mickey snorted.

 

“What secret?”

 

“The way you look at your ginger friend when you think nobody's watching, or the way you moan his name when we're together...”

 

~~~

 

Mandy had brought a guy home again, and Mickey's ears were buried deep under layers of pillows and covers. His phone buzzed near his head.

 

_[From Ian] So, how's the new guy?_

 

_[From Mickey] What you're talking about?_

 

_[From Ian] Mandy came by the diner and picked up a guy. Is he loud?_

 

_[From Mickey] Shit! You should have stopped her. Fucker! Betting you have a good laugh right now._

 

_[From Ian] My couch is still empty._

 

Mickey sighed. He thought about Dani and her threatening tone. He thought about Ian sleeping in only his boxers. And then he thought about Mandy and this past week of random guys. Fuck it.

 

_[From Mickey] Be there in 20._

 


	4. The colocation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mickey is now living at Ian's, and things might get a little out of hand (pun intended).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: there is some Ian/OMC sex in this chapter, just FYI. And a couple of masturbation scenes...

 

Ian came out of his bedroom to see a big lump of sheets and comforter on his couch. And he remembered. He had told Mickey he could crash on the couch for an undetermined amount of time. Ian sighed, ran his hand through his hair, and walked into the bathroom. He didn't really know what he was doing anymore. Half the time he was avoiding Mickey all together, trying to refrain his raging boner and enormous crush for the guy, reminding himself his friend was just that, his _friend_ , and that he had a girlfriend. And the other half, he was joking with him, blatantly eye-fucking him, and inviting him to stay over. It was not like Mickey was sending clear signals either, kissing and jerking Ian off one morning for no reason, then coming back the next night to drunkenly kiss him, and in between totally ignoring both encounters and the obvious sexual tension, talking casually about Danielle and their plans together. It was so frustrating for Ian, and he couldn't figure out if his friend was gay and deep in the closet, a horny drunk, or just simply bi and in a relationship he didn't want to fuck up. And Mickey was obviously avoiding all of Ian's attempts to talk about it.

 

The redhead turned the water on, and started to shower, letting the hot droplets slide along his skin, running his hands on his shoulders, his arms, his stomach, his tights. And his mind came back to Mickey, like it always did these days. When did he become so addicted to his best friend? To his eyes, and his lips, to his laugh, to his scent... Maybe it had always been there, but Ian didn't see it, refused to see it because Mickey was his straight best friend... The redhead let his hand travel south until his already hard penis. He caressed himself slowly at first, closing his eyes and picturing his newly appointed roommate, and then faster, and faster, before coming with a low moan, Mickey's name of the verge of his lips.

 

~~~

 

Shirtless. Ian was shirtless. Coming out of the bathroom with only his sweatpants on, his hand in his hair, drying it with a towel, and the muscles of his arms flexed enough to show how well-built he was, revealing the tattoo on the side of his chest. Mickey blinked quickly a few times, and sat back on the couch. He took a deep breath, discreetly, and stood back up, composed.

 

“Hey. Thanks for letting me crash here.”

 

“No problem.”

 

Ian dropped the towel on the back of a chair and started to make breakfast.

 

“Mandy is driving me nuts. I seriously think I like her better when we're not living together.”

 

“Told you, you can stay here.”

 

The redhead was calm, way too calm for a guy cooking with no shirt on. Or maybe it was Mickey who was too fired up. Anyway, he needed to get out of here, and fast.

 

“Gonna take a shower.”

 

“Sure.”

 

~~~

 

Four days, nineteen hours, thirty-seven minutes, and twenty-one seconds. That's how long Mickey had been living in Ian's apartment. That's how long the redhead had been living in a constant state of sexual frustration. And he couldn't take it anymore. He just couldn't. He needed to get laid. Bad. So he did the logical thing and called Ryan.

 

~~~

 

“Going somewhere?”

 

Friday night, and Ian was coming out of his bedroom wearing tight pants and a shirt that attracted the eye in all the right places. Mickey raised his head from the TV in a flash.

 

“Going to a club with Ryan, somewhere in Boystown. Don't suppose you wanna come?”

 

Maybe Mickey had imagined it, but he heard something looking a tiny bit like hope in Ian's voice. Still, he just shook it off.

 

“Nah man. Don't need to see those pruney queens slap their sacks against your ass cheeks.”

 

The redhead didn't react, just grabbed his keys and wallet from the console in the entrance. Mickey hesitated for a mini-second before going all protective over his friend.

 

“Don't go crazy, you know you can't drink too much on your meds.”

 

“I'm a grown man Mickey, I know what I'm doing. Plus, you're not my keeper!”

 

~~~

 

Maybe he should have called Dani, or gone out on his own, or just done something, anything, but no, Mickey just stayed there, on the couch, not really watching TV, waiting for his roommate to come back home. And he came back alright! The black-haired man heard the fumble of the key for a good two minutes before he decided to go open the front door himself. Ian was there, half leaning against a cliché-looking North Side guy.

 

“Hi Mick! This is...”

 

“Scott.”

 

“Scott! We're just... going to my room...”

 

“Jesus Ian, you're drunk!”

 

“No, I'm not. Nope. I had one... two drinks... Right Scott?”

 

The other guy nodded vaguely. Yeah, like hell he knew how many drinks Ian had had. Mickey was about to kick the stranger out, but Ian kept his grip on him strong and shoved Mickey out of the way to show Scott to his bedroom. Just before locking the door behind himself, the redhead turned back to Mickey.

 

“Not. my. keeper.”

 

~~~

 

Okay, maybe Ian was a little inhi... inbihited... Oh, what a funny word! But he still had enough of his senses to fuck. That was easy. His tip had to go in the other... Yep, easy. He made a quick work of getting rid of his pants, and shoved the other man face first on the bed.

 

“Wow! What you're doing?”

 

“Fucking. What'd you think you're here for?”

 

The other man raised on his elbows.

 

“I mean do you have like lube or a condom?”

 

Ian sighed dramatically. Oh yeah right. He reached into his nightstand and grabbed the items needed. When he came back behind his _'date'_ , the guy was finally butt-naked. Ian made a quick job of prepping him, not wanting to waste too much time with this joker, rolled on the piece of latex, and penetrated him not too delicately. The guy whined, but he didn't push Ian away, so the redhead kept going. He grabbed the guy's hips and fucked him relentlessly, closing his eyes to imagine paler skin, and plumper ass. He didn't last long, maybe it was the alcohol, maybe it was the images flashing in his brain, but he came with a low “Mi... mmff...”, trying his best to keep the name he wanted to scream at bay.

 

~~~

 

Ian's moans coming from his bedroom did nothing to help Mickey sleep, or to keep him from thinking about his friend in a way he didn't want to be thinking about him. Almost unconsciously, his hand slid inside his boxers, and he started pumping his dick, his ears and brain focusing only on Ian's moans, and not on the whiny bitch with him right now. Mickey wasn't an idiot, he had seen gay porn – long story, for another time – he knew how it worked, and he was pretty sure Ian was a top. He had to be. And just the idea on itself surged something new into Mickey. And he thought about trying something he had never done before... He sucked on one of his fingers of the hand that wasn't around his dick, and then he brought it to the rim of his ass. And he went in. Slowly at first, it hurt like a bitch. But quickly the pain turned into something else, something new. And Mickey came, a hand on his dick, a finger in his ass, and the low groan of Ian's orgasming into his ears.

 

~~~

 

“Mickey? You're not listening to me Mickey!”

 

“Fuck, yes I'm listening!”

 

“So which one? Navy blue or Egyptian blue?”

 

Danielle was showing him two exact same dresses, but apparently Mickey had to spot a difference and choose between them.

 

“Um... the right one?”

 

Danielle sighed and rolled her eyes dramatically.

 

“You're so not listening to me!”

 

Mickey just nodded vaguely, taking his buzzing phone out of his pocket, and reading his incoming texts.

 

_[From Ian] Thanks for kicking the guy out this morning._

 

_[From Ian] And sorry for being an awful roommate last night. You're right, I shouldn't drink._

 

_[From Ian] You should be my keeper._

 

_[From Ian] Pizza tonight. I'm buying._

 

Mickey smiled at the words. His friend was such a dork sometimes...

 

“Who are you texting?” Dani asked.

 

“No one.”

 

“Is it Ian again?”

 

“Bite me.”

 

“Like you'd let me.”

 

Mickey raised his middle finger at his _'girlfriend'_ , and sent a quick message to his roommate.

 

_[From Mickey] Gotta go, Dani is being a bitch. Women, I swear, fucking harpies! But pizza sounds nice._

 

~~~

 

A week. Ian lasted a week without sex. But it was too much, living with Mickey was making him feel like a horny seventeen-year-old all over again. So the next week-end he went back to Boystown again to pick up a guy. Except this time he didn't drink, and he didn't bring the guy home, he just fucked him fast and hard in the dirty bathroom of the club.

 


	5. The game

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ian follows Mandy's advice to try to get somewhere with Mickey.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so there is a lot of sex in this chapter, sex you don't wanna see, a weird sexual situation, and sex I think you'll really appreciate. But overall a very NSFW chapter.
> 
> Also it is indeed the Fairy TAIL, and not Tale, as we can see in 6x12, and yes it makes it even more disgusting.

 

Mandy put her controller down violently, and turned on her seat to face her friend.

 

“Okay, what's wrong with you? You usually beat my ass at this game!”

 

Ian avoided her eyes, and tried to start the game again, but the woman wasn't having it.

 

“I'm fine Mands.”

 

“Bullshit you are! You've been all moody lately.” and with a softer tone she added: “Is it your meds maybe?”

 

Ian shook his head and gave up of his own controller.

 

“My meds work fine. It's just...”

 

“Yes?”

 

“It's this guy...”

 

Mandy jumped a little and smiled brightly, like an excited little girl hearing a secret for the first time.

 

“Do I know him?”

 

“No... I met him... at a club.”

 

“What's his name?”

 

“... Tiiim?”

 

“Tim?”

 

“Yeah, well I didn't name him! Anyway, he's acting weird. One moment he's all over me, and the next it's like I don't even exist. I don't understand his game...”

 

“Because it's just that, a game! And you need to play it.”

 

Ian looked at her with questioning eyes.

 

“What do you mean?”

 

Mandy sighed. Did she really need to teach him everything?

 

“If you're too available, he'll get bored. You need to make him want you. Flirt with other guys in front of him, be sexy, even at the weirdest times. And don't say yes too easily! Make him work for it!”

 

~~~

 

 _Make him work for it._ Okay, Ian could do that. He could be sexy, his time working at the Fairy Tail had, at least, taught him that much. And his little stunt of not wearing shirts in the morning lately seemed to have their effect. So he did just that, not wearing shirts more and more often, sometimes even wandering in the apartment in only his boxers. And bananas, Ian started to eat A LOT of bananas, always making a show of it. Or Popsicles, when he was sick of bananas. He also went back to the club regularly to pick up guys, and even though he still hesitated to bring them back home, he knew the scent of other men on him was getting to Mickey. The man was slowly becoming a 5'7 little bubble of anger and frustration – probably, hopefully, sexual – and Ian was having a lot of fun. But Mandy's advice was still not going anywhere fast enough for him...

 

~~~

 

 _Bananas?!_ What is it with bananas that make them so goddamn sexy?! It's just a stupid fruit only good in pancakes! But no, Mickey's stupid ginger roommate was apparently very much enjoying eating a banana _every_ fucking morning, stripping it with his long delicate fingers, slowly bringing it between his lips, and just... Aaah fucking hell!!! Mickey couldn't stand this little game anymore! He was taking a lot of showers, too many showers, to get rid of the boner that was forming every time a banana was eaten, or every time Ian wasn't wearing a shirt. His skin was going to wrinkle and peel off at this rhythm! He was back at fucking Dani on the regular, because he didn't really have a choice at this point, even if the woman wasn't fully satisfying, it was still better than his hands only, and Mickey was too lazy to go get someone else, especially when the only person he really wanted was living right there with him. But no he just... He couldn't do that. Even if it had to cost him hours of sleep from seeing Ian going out so often, and coming home in the wee hours of the morning smelling of cheap cologne and other men's perfume. Thankfully, the redhead didn't bring the guys home anymore. Until... until he did.

 

~~~

 

Mickey was smoking his sixth cigarette of the night, leaning against the open window, and drinking his third beer, when Ian barged into the apartment, holding on to the arm of a man Mickey didn't even bother to look at. The redhead was looking straight at Mickey anyway, his face challenging, and without a hint of alcohol in his body this time. Mickey raised an eyebrow, and Ian led the man to his bedroom, leaving the door open. Leaving the fucking door wide open! Mickey stood still in his spot for a long time, until he started hearing soft moans and the slick sound of skin against skin. The black-haired man finished his beer, and flicked the butt of his cigarette through the window.

 

“Fuck it.”

 

He walked to the bedroom, with the full and only purpose of closing the goddamn door, but he met Ian's eyes. The redhead was looking straight at Mickey, forcefully maintaining the face of his _'date'_ down on the bed. And he was fucking him slowly, so slowly, not looking away from Mickey, daring him, with his perfect green eyes of his, to move even an inch. The black-haired man felt his dick, already hard in his sweatpants, starting to leak. He couldn't detach his eyes from Ian, his toned chest, and his flexed muscles, thrusting into this guy's ass. So Mickey did the only thing he could think of at this moment, and he slipped his hand in his boxers, tugging at his cock, matching his movements on Ian's, biting his lower lip to keep his noises at bay. And the duo went on like this for several minutes, the other guy on the bed not even noticing what was happening. And they came together, Ian in his guy, Mickey in his pants. At the very second the black-haired man's brain was clear enough for him to register what had just happened, he bolted. Not far, just to his makeshift bed on the couch. But he stayed there and didn't move, even when Ian walked into the living room, escorting his guy out, and then stood for some time above the couch, watching Mickey for a few minutes, before he gave up and went to bed. Mickey didn't move, but he didn't sleep either.

 

~~~

 

Mickey crashed the coffee pot on its base.

 

“Fucking assholes!”

 

“Grumpy much?” Iris' cheerful voice asked from behind him. _How could she be so upbeat this early in the morning???_

 

“Just angry at stupid fucking costumers who don't know what they fucking want!”

 

“Isn't that what human beings are all about: not knowing what they fucking want?”

 

“Oh enough with your cheap philosophy Iris! Nobody asked you for your opinion!”

 

The girl retreated a few steps, raising her hands in surrender.

 

“Jeez Milky-head! An early morning shift without the calming presence of our favorite redhead is really not your thing!”

 

“Oh shut up with Ian already! Not everything is about him!”

 

Iris smiled, fucking _smiled_.

 

“Oooh, so that's your problem! You had a fight with the ginger giant.”

 

“I don’t have a fucking problem!!!!”

 

~~~

 

Mickey had avoided Ian all day. It had been relatively easy considering they didn't share the same shifts at the diner, and the redhead spent all of his free time at school. But when night came, and Mickey was enjoying a semi-occasional joint in front of mindless TV, he barely noticed Ian coming home and sitting on the other side of the couch, until the other man asked for a hit. Mickey tried his best not to focus on Ian's body heat radiating next to him, tried not to feel this little sparkle when their fingers brushed against one another every time they passed the smoke over, tried, tried so hard, not to think about what had happened the night before. But his body didn't seem to get the message and his dick reacted to the memory of Ian's naked body. And Ian noticed. And Mickey saw that Ian had noticed. They finished the weed in silence, with only a few glances here and there. Mickey crashed the butt in the ashtray on the coffee table, and leaned back against the couch, opening his legs a little more. Ian was still staring when Mickey's words came out of his mouth before he could think twice about them.

 

“You're gonna look at it all night or you're gonna do something about it?”

 

~~~

 

Maybe it was the weed, or maybe Ian had just been waiting for this sentence, but the truth is that he didn't even hesitate a second before dropping on his knees in front of his friend. He opened his fly, and tugged on both his pants and boxers in one swift movement, letting Mickey's dick spring free. The redhead spit in his hand and jerked the cock a couple of times, bringing it to full hardness, before fully going for it, taking it in his mouth like he had practiced with all those bananas. Licking at the tip first, and then further and further down, slowly. Mickey placed one hand on Ian's shoulder, the other on his head, gripping at the red hair gently. His groans, coming from deep in his throat, went directly to Ian's dick, and the redhead accelerated his rhythm, going deeper and deeper, past his gag reflex, until he was completely deep-throating Mickey.

 

“Oh Ian, fuuuck...”

 

The redhead moaned around Mickey's dick at hearing his name being said so softly by the other man. And Mickey gripped harder at Ian's hair, trying to pull him off.

 

“Fuck. I'm gonna... Not gonna last...”

 

But Ian stayed there, moving only his lips so he was back at the tip, swallowing all of what Mickey's orgasm was giving him. Mickey let his hands fall on his sides, and leaned his head back on the couch.

 

“Best blow job ever.”

 

Ian smiled, and discreetly adjusted himself in his pants. Okay, he wasn't going to push his luck and ask Mickey to return the favor, so he stood up and went to clean himself in the bathroom. When he came back, Mickey was already fast asleep on his spot. Ian grabbed the comforter and covered his friend carefully, the smile still on his lips.

 

~~~

 

When Ian came back home from school the very next day, he was in a good mood. He hadn't seen Mickey yet since the previous night, but he was optimistic, things were going to be better, he just knew it. Unfortunately, all of his happiness crashed down when he opened the door of the apartment to face Danielle riding her _boyfriend_ onto the couch. The woman stopped when she saw the redhead, and quickly covered her breasts with the first piece of clothing she could find – like Ian cared about how big her boobs were – but Mickey didn't stop, and grabbed the woman's hips to fuck her harder. Ian walked directly to his bedroom and closed the door violently.

 

~~~

 

Danielle had been gone for a good hour when Ian walked back into the living room and found Mickey casually sipping coffee, leaning against the kitchen counter.

 

“You use a rubber?”

 

Mickey raised an eyebrow above his mug.

 

“What?”

 

“With your _'girlfriend'_ , you use a rubber?” Ian asked again, a little louder. “Cause I swallowed that cum Mick, I don't wanna catch some nasty disease from your whore!”

 

“Nobody forced you to do it.” Mickey stated, remaining utterly calm.

 

“JESUS MICKEY! I don't understand anything anymore! One day you're all over me and let me suck your dick, and the next day you're fucking your girlfriend on the exact same couch! I'm sick of you playing with me! Admit you're gay once and for all!”

 

“I'm not gay.”

 

“THEN YOU'RE SOMETHING! BUT DON'T TELL ME I DON'T MATTER TO YOU AT LEAST A LITTLE BIT!!!”

 

Ian's rage was stopped dead on its track when Mickey grabbed his face and kissed him hard on the lips. The redhead was dumbstruck and let himself being kissed for a second, before he came back to his senses and pushed Mickey away.

 

“Fuck you.” Ian spatted before leaving the apartment, furious.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did Ian react too violently? Why did he even react like that to Mickey's kiss? And were Mickey's actions so condamnable? You have four hours. ;)
> 
> Also this sex scene with Ian and this guy and Mickey watching was so creepy and hard to write, told ya: weird sexual situation! I hope it was okay to read...


	6. The wedding

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ian spends the day with Mandy, and Mickey goes to a wedding.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not much happens in this chapter, but it felt necessary to the rest of the story, it's mostly a filler chapter.

 

“That's hilarious!” Mandy laughed. “He leaves my place because I bring too many guys over, but he fucks Danielle right there on your couch! That's some real hypocrisy...”

 

Ian nodded, his nose in his glass. Last night, he had paced for a long time in the streets, before barging in at Mandy's, still filled with rage. The woman hadn't asked anything, just let the redhead sleep on her couch. But came morning, she had demanded an explanation, and all Ian could tell her was how he had walked in on Mickey and Danielle fucking. Mandy had served him some orange juice, but Ian was longing for a good glass of whiskey, or vodka. He needed to forget.

 

“So you're gonna give him hell?”

 

“What?”

 

“Mickey. You're gonna kick his ass to the curb?”

 

Ian shrugged, his head still hanging low. He knew he was probably looking like a kicked puppy, but he didn't really care, he needed to be miserable for a while.

 

“I can't do that, he'll be homeless.”

 

“So? You're the one homeless right now.”

 

Ian sighed.

 

“It was just one time. It wasn't that bad, was it?”

 

He knew he was trying to convince himself more than Mandy. Mickey had fucked Danielle once, so what? She was still his girlfriend, and he did kiss Ian when the redhead yelled at him. There was no alcohol, or weed, this time, and no weird sexual tension. But fuck no, Ian couldn't be happy with that. He needed a healthy relationship, not a guy who couldn't decide between Ian and some woman, not a guy who couldn't assume his sexuality. And fuck Mickey for thinking a kiss would solve everything!

 

“Speaking of the devil...” Mandy suddenly said, tearing Ian out of his thoughts by waving her phone in front of his eyes, showing him the blinking caller ID.

 

The redhead shrugged, letting his friend answer the call.

 

“Yo assface!” Mandy happily greeted her brother. “Yes. Yes he's here, calm your fucking tits... No he doesn't want to talk to you right now... That's none of your fucking business what he told me! … Well fuck you too, go suck on your girlfriend's balls!”

 

~~~

 

The line suddenly cut and Mickey put his phone down on the counter with uncalled for violence. Mandy was being a bitch, but that wasn't anything new, and at least now he knew Ian was safe, and not wandering the streets alone, or doing something way worse. Mickey was kind of worry though of what the redhead had told his sister. Yes, he found the redhead attractive, and yes, he wanted to have sex with him. But that was it. Just sex, no relationship or any bullshit of that type – wasn't that the great thing about sleeping with guys, a “no strings attached” that could actually work?! Mickey didn't want to talk about it with his sister, or his coworkers, or with anyone for that matter, what he did and liked in the bedroom was his and only his – and the other person involved – fuck everybody else, they had no rights to know the details. And above all, he didn't want Mandy to come barging at his door to talk _'feelings'_ , especially when he wasn't sure what these feelings were. Sex with no emotions was a good deal, why couldn't anybody understand that?

 

Just when Mickey was lightning a cigarette, somebody came knocking on the door. Mickey grumbled for nobody to hear and dragged his feet to the door. He opened it to have a plastic covered suit shoved in his chest.

 

“You're fucking late!” Danielle shouted. “You were supposed to be at my place an hour ago! So now put this fucking suit on and let's go!”

 

Mickey sighed, and hesitated for a moment about whether or not he should tell the woman to fuck off. But he actually had nothing better to do today than to go to this stupid wedding thing, plus the free booze grew more and more attractive by the second. So he complained some more – just because – finished his cigarette, and dressed nicely, as he was ordered.

 

~~~

 

Ian spent the day with Mandy. It was nice. He had met the woman through Mickey – more or less – when the black-haired man had first started working at the diner. Mandy was always coming to hang out at the end of her brother's shifts, and she soon befriended Ian and Iris, which led to them both befriending Mickey, the Grumpy and Quiet sibling. And since then, Ian had barely spent any real time alone with Mandy. Well... until that morning of mutual hand jobs and things with Mickey became so complicated – to say the least. But now, Ian was just mulling, not even enjoying Mandy being her best cheerful self.

 

“Okay.” she said firmly after they had finished another episode of Family Guy. “Why are you still so... pissy? This thing with Mickey and Danielle on the couch really hit you that hard?”

 

Ian shook his head without real intent. He wanted to say yes, but he also knew Mickey would probably kill him for talking to Mandy about them – whatever they were.

 

“No, it's just... Remember that guy I talked to you about?”

 

“Yeah.” Mandy nodded. “Tim, right?”

 

“Yes. Well I tried your advice, playing the game and making him work for it, but I feel like things have only gone worse. And I just... I can't do this anymore Mandy. I need to know where he stands so I can either move on on my own, or move forward with him.”

 

Mandy slapped the redhead's thigh probably harder that she had meant to.

 

“So fucking talk to him!” she almost cried. “I know you guys hate to talk about feelings and shit, but at one point you just gotta! Have you seen how miserable you've looked recently?”

 

Ian shook his head again.

 

“I tried that Mandy, but he just avoided the conversation and kissed me like it could make everything go away!”

 

“So try harder. And think with big Ian for once, instead of little Ian!”

 

~~~

 

Weddings were just a bunch of bullshits put together to give people a good excuse to party. But before getting to the free booze and the free food, you had to sit through the entire fucking ceremony, and endless fucking speeches. So when the food finally arrived, Mickey was already too sick of this shit-show to enjoy it. Danielle had dragged him to meet every single person in her family – and they were like a thousand – parading at his arm, forcing him to make small talk and to fucking smile. And all along, Mickey couldn't stop thinking about his stupid redheaded roommate, and about the fact that said roommate wasn't answering any of his many, many texts.

 

“Would you stop looking at your phone for one second?” Danielle barked quietly for the umpteenth time.

 

“Bite me.” Mickey answered, keeping a fake smile on his face and holding back the finger he wanted to show her.

 

He felt his phone buzz against his thigh, and he took it out of his pocket so damn fast to, finally, fucking finally, read a message from Ian. Mickey released the breath he did know he had been holding before opening the incoming text.

 

_[From Ian] We need to talk. My place as soon as you can._

 

Mickey shot him a quick “okay” reply before standing up and making his way toward the exit. Danielle caught up with him quickly enough.

 

“You can't leave now!”

 

“Watch me.”

 

“We had a deal.”

 

Mickey smirked.

 

“I don't give a fuck. I have more important shit to do.”

 

And he left, leaving Danielle to go sit back at their table alone. As soon as she dropped into her chair, her cousin – yes, the fucking happy bride – was there, hovering over her.

 

“How long has it been going on?”

 

Danielle looked up at her.

 

“What?”

 

“Your boyfriend, he has a mistress. We all saw it. Checking his phone so often, being distant with you. And right now, where did he leave?”

 

“He had something important to do.”

 

“Mistress.”

 

Her cousin had this condescending look on her face that Danielle hated so much. She thought Mickey had left because he was sick of the wedding, but could it have been that he was seeing someone else and didn't tell her? Danielle had hoped their new deal could have, maybe, made their relationship better, she thought things were going okay, but she had apparently picked the wrong guy once again... And of course her cousin was here to rub it in her face with her overly romantic wedding and her opinions on Mickey...

 

~~~

 

Mickey almost ran to the top of the stairs, and opened the door of the apartment panting and sweating like a pig. Ian, who had, most likely, been casually sitting on the couch, stood up when he saw Mickey come in. He had this blank, serious face on that was scaring the living shit out of Mickey.

 

“I think you need to move out.” the redhead said without preamble.

 

“What?” Mickey asked, still a little bit breathless.

 

“I can't do this.” Ian supplied. “Have random sex with you, and then watch you pretend it never happened. I don't want this, I don't deserve this. I like too much for this – whatever this is – to be working. And I know you can't, or you won't, give me what I want, so we need to go back to being just friends, if we can. But for that to work, you need to move out. Go back to Mandy's, or somewhere else, I don't care, I just can't have you here anymore.”

 

Mickey knew this wasn't a break-up, it couldn't be a break-up, mostly because he had been the one to choose not to _'feel'_ ; but this sure felt like one, like a terrible, unexpected break-up that shattered his heart in a million pieces.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That “break-up” scene at the end looked somewhat familiar? It's normal, it's actually a reference to 5x12. I know, I'm horrible right? ;)


	7. The moving-out-moving-on

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ian tries to move on, while Mickey tries new things.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been soooo lazy lately (also I might have spent the last few days making myself a Shameless calendar, it took me a good 20h, but it was totally worth it), so sorry for posting this chapter later than usual.

 

It had been two days since Ian had asked Mickey to move out, and the black-haired man was almost fully gone – it had took him some time to convince Mandy to go back at her place, the woman was a tough negotiator - and Ian wasn't regretting his decision, he knew it had been the right one. He needed a break from Mickey, if only to figure out how he truly felt about his friend.

 

Tuesday morning was the only morning Ian didn't have any class or work and could be alone at home. He was enjoying a much needed sleep-in when a loud banging on the door woke him up. He dived deeper under his sheets and pillow, hoping the person would go away, but they knocked again. The redhead swore under his breath, but dragged himself out of bed nonetheless.

 

“Mickey ain't here.” were the words he used to greet Danielle.

 

He tried to close the door, but the woman was faster and kept it open with her foot.

 

“I know.” she said with a fake smile. “I'm here to see you.”

 

Ian sighed loudly.

 

“What do you want?”

 

“Wow, you really don't like me, do you?”

 

The redhead didn't answer, so the woman kept talking.

 

“It's okay, I don't like you either. But I'm here to ask you to give me Mickey, just leave him to me for a little while longer.”

 

“Isn't he already your boyfriend?”

 

“You know what I mean, Ian.”

 

Her eyes were cold and determined, the redhead had no chance and he knew it.

 

“He's free as a bird. You can have him if you want.”

 

“So you guys really broke up, huh?”

 

“Once again, he's your boyfriend.”

 

“Once again, you know exactly what I mean.”

 

Ian sighed.

 

“We were never really together.”

 

“Good, so you can help me and talk to him, make him see he's better with me.”

 

“And why would I do that?”

 

“Because I heard you kicked him out. You want him out of your life, and that's exactly what I can do.”

 

~~~

 

Mickey was exhausted. He couldn't stop thinking about Ian and about how right he had been. He was pissed at himself for being so chicken, he was barely sleeping, and he spent all of his free time trying to convince Mandy to agree to take him back in her house. And finally, she had came by the diner at the end of her brother's shift to give him his very own set of keys for her apartment.

 

When Mickey arrived at Ian's place to take the last of his stuff, the redhead was silently cooking, facing away from Mickey.

 

“Danielle dropped by today.” he announced without turning to look at the black-haired man.

 

“Oh yeah? What did she want?”

 

Ian let a silence pass, and Mickey almost thought he was debating over saying the truth or not.

 

“She wanted to see you.” the redhead finally said.

 

Mickey nodded absentmindedly.

 

“You should go back to her.” Ian added. “She's a nice girl.”

 

Mickey raised the highest of eyebrows.

 

“No, she's a vindictive bitch.”

 

“She's hurt you cheated on her.”

 

Mickey wasn't sure what was happening here, but he couldn't let Ian defend Danielle so fervently, it didn't feel right.

 

“Who says I did?”

 

This time, the redhead turned to face Mickey and raised his own eyebrows.

 

“Why are you defending her anyway?” Mickey scoffed. “I thought you couldn't stand her.”

 

“I guess I sympathize.” Ian said simply, turning back to his cooking.

 

Mickey grabbed his duffle bag and took the few steps separating him from the door.

 

“Okay Mother Teresa, whatever you say!”

 

~~~

 

The first few weeks without Mickey in his life were tough on Ian. Well... Mickey was still here, but more as a somewhat friendly coworker than anything else, they didn't hang out anymore, barely joked, and talked just the minimum amount to keep up apparences. The redhead had Iris, and Mandy, and he mainly focused on school and work. And there were also the men. Before Mickey, Ian had been happy without a boyfriend. Now, he was craving one, mostly to keep Mickey out of his system. But starting a new and healthy relationship was difficult, and Ian was very much unlucky in love.

 

Josh. One week and four days. He was nice, and good-looking, the kind of guy you want to introduce to your parents, until he suggested they had a threesome with his boyfriend – with whom he had been for five years.

 

Dave. Two weeks and five days. He was clearly a douche from the beginning, but he was a great lay, so Ian kept him around, until he really couldn't stand him anymore.

 

Chris. Eight days. He liked to party, like every single fucking night. Ian tried to keep up, but in the end he knew he was just going back to old habits and that wasn't healthy at all.

 

Gavin. Three weeks and two days. He wasn't perfect, but he was okay enough for Ian to stay with him, until he broke up with the redhead for no reason at all – or maybe because he knew Ian wasn't as engross by him as he was by his black haired and blue eyed coworker. And it wasn't like Ian was actually affected by the break-up.

 

“And here goes Guy #37!” Ryan commented with a sportscaster voice.

 

“Fuck you.” Ian replied with half a smile, handing his friend a can of soda.

 

“No seriously,” Ryan added. “How long has it been since you slept alone at night?”

 

Ian didn't answer, and they both knew what that silence meant.

 

“You okay Ian? Meds working?”

 

The redhead rolled his eyes and put his own can down on the table a little too violently.

 

“Yes, Jesus, I'm fine! Why does everybody keeps asking me that?”

 

“Because it looks like you're spiraling back into old habits, bad habits,” the other man answered, condescending.

 

“I'm good Ryan, I swear.”

 

“So it's just all about the mystery guy we're not supposed to talk about then?”

 

Ian shrugged.

 

“Okay, let me take you out tonight. I'll buy you dinner in a nice place and we can talk, catch up, and keep you away from random dicks for a night.”

 

Ian smirked.

 

“Like a date?”

 

“It's not a date.” Ryan sighed.

 

“Good. Cause you know where I stand on that.”

 

~~~

 

Mickey didn't really know why he did it, but he did it. He chose a store in the other side of town, obviously, and the weirdest looking cashier didn't even look at him wrong when he payed for his purchase. It seemed like she had seen way worse than a random guy buying his first dildo. Unconsciously, or maybe totally consciously, he chose it a very specific size, a size he had once had in hand, a size imprinted in his memory against his will; and black, because none of those other girly shit would ever go anywhere near his ass.

 

He had gone back to Danielle after Ian had told him too, mostly because he couldn't stand the loneliness and the thoughts that came with it, and also because he was afraid the woman would talk to Mandy about what she thought she knew, and Mickey wasn't ready for that. But it only lasted until the end of their _'contract'_ , and then Mickey had finally grew the balls to properly break up with her. Dani cried, but she let him go, repeating over and over it was her fault for picking the wrong guy once again, and that her cousin was right. Mickey didn't ask, and left without looking back. Now that he was newly single, and finally, fucking finally, back into his own apartment, he had decided to try things. He had soon discovered that keeping Ian out of his mind was mission impossible, but because the redhead was always showing up at the diner with a new _'boyfriend'_ , Mickey had decided to try his best to explore the weird sexual pulsions he had on his own.

 

He dropped loudly on his bed, setting his new toy and the lube – because yes, he wasn't crazy, he had bought the biggest bottle of lube he could find – at hand's reach, but he hesitated. Putting a finger or two in his ass while jerking off was one thing, but this, this was a whole other level, a step Mickey wasn't sure he was ready to take. He breathed slowly and closed his eyes. He thought about good sex, but never mind-blowing like some people seem to experience. He thought about Ian and all their sexual encounters, which were, let's admit it, very close to mind-blowing. He thought about all the gay porn he had recently grow the balls to watch. He thought about this spot, this pleasure spot guys apparently had that he hadn't discovered yet. And he let his mind drift back to Ian, because really, that was where he was always coming back to in the end. Mickey started by steadying an image in his mind, Ian's sweaty body, his low moans, and his blissed-out face during an orgasm. Then he took off his pants and boxers, and started to lazily stroke his dick. When he felt he was hard enough, he reached for the lube and squeezed some onto his fingers. He lifted his feet, planting them flat on the bed, and slowly pushed a first digit in his ass. Things were easy for now, he had already done that several times. So he added quickly a second finger. It already felt tighter. He gave his dick a couple more strokes, trying not to loose the rhythm, and scissored his fingers.

 

“Oh shit.”

 

He could feel himself getting looser and looser, so he added another finger. And whined, literally whined. He paused for a second, taking the time to breath, and gave back a little attention to his cock, before moving his fingers again. It did kind of hurt, but it was a pleasurable pain. Once he felt ready, finally ready, he carefully took his fingers out, and coated the dildo with a significant amount of lube before placing the tip against his hole. And he pushed the toy in, so, so slowly.

 

“Holy fuck.”

 

Halfway there, and he was wincing. He took another couple of breaths, and bottomed out.

 

“Holy fucking shit!”

 

His dick had lost some of its vigor, but it wasn't important at the moment, Mickey needed time to adjust to the feeling of this big fucking object in his ass. He took it halfway out, and thrust back in. And he did it again, and again, and again, until he was panting and his cock was fully hard again. He resumed his stroking with one hand, fucking himself with the black toy in the other. And he found it, that special spot, he found it and came so hard he almost saw stars – and no, he didn't think it was a real thing either.

 

~~~

 

The guy at the bar looked pretty good, and lonely. It was all Ian could think about while Ryan kept rambling about... about whatever Ryan rambled about. A hand caressing his made the redhead come back to their table though.

 

“All I'm trying to say is that you'd be much better with me than with whoever this mystery guy is. I know you, I've known you for a long time...”

 

Ian took his hand away.

 

“Ryan. We've talked about this.”

 

The other guy almost started to pout.

 

“I know, I just thought that maybe you had changed your mind...”

 

Ian shook his head.

 

“Look, I like you, but as a friend, nothing more, and I don't believe it will ever change. But if it does, I promise I'll let you know. In the meantime, if you'll excuse me, I'd like to get out of this date you swore wasn't a date, to go see if I have my chances with that cute guy at the bar.”

 


	8. The locker room

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mickey is jealous of Ian's new "boyfriend".

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's a tiny Parks & Rec reference in this chapter. Ten points to your Hogwarts House if you can spot it. ;)
> 
> Also, I'm so not confident about this chapter, it's why I took so long to post it. I don't know, it's just... blah!
> 
> **Warnings** : this chapter contains homophobic slurs, and rough, unprotected sex, mildly consensual (it's a weird scene, you'll see, and it's actually the scene I struggled with in this chapter).

 

 

_And here we go again_ , Mickey sighed as the guy sat at the counter to throw 'fuck me' eyes at Ian. What was his name again? Harry, Jerry, Larry, Gerry? He looked like a Larry. Stupid fucking fairy. And he had the look this time, a real fag, with his weird hair and colorful clothes. Mickey despised him. Okay, he had never actually talked to the guy, but he had heard enough. How Ryan was the best of wing-men, taking Ian to some restaurant so he could pick up the first guy he found alone at the bar. Or something like that. Mickey didn't care for the details, all he knew is that he was probably – most likely – going to spit in this guy's coffee. Just because. Just because he was dating Ian, and was proud of it, just because he was here, at the diner, to see his... _boyfriend_ at work.

 

~~~

 

Ian saw Henry enter the diner and sit at his usual spot at the counter, and the redhead discreetly rolled his eyes. Henry and him had been dating for a little over a week, after Ian had hit on him at the bar. Well, _'dating'_... if that was even the right term. Ian had only wanted a one-night-stand, but the guy didn't seem to get the message. At first, the redhead had thought he was just clingy. If only. The guy was over jealous and ultra possessive, and Ian couldn't get rid of him no matter how much he tried. It was beginning to seriously piss him off, but he still let Henry hang around, especially at the diner, just because of Mickey's reactions. The black-haired man couldn't stand to see Ian with another man, any man, and Ian liked these fits of jealousy way more than he liked Henry.

 

The redhead was used to flirty costumers, and knew how to deal with them, but this time he let the girl's hand linger on his arm for longer than necessary. Unfortunately, this _'great idea'_ didn't have the effect intended: Mickey didn't react – of course Mickey didn't react, he wasn't stupid – but Henry did. He walked straight to the girl and grabbed her hand forcefully.

 

“Hey! Get off me!” the poor girl cried.

 

“Why don't you get off him first?” Henry replied while twisting her wrist.

 

“Henry, let her go!” Ian ordered, trying to pull his 'boyfriend' away.

 

But the man wasn't listening, and his grip on the girl became stronger and stronger, her skin turning red, then white.

 

“What's going on there?” Mickey's voice interrupted. “You're being violent with a girl dickface?”

 

Henry turned to Mickey with an almost pitiful face.

 

“She was hitting on my boyfriend!” he argued.

 

“Oh yeah?” Mickey spat back. “Well guess what? He's not your boyfriend anymore!”

 

“Mickey!” Ian exclaimed, but the black-haired man didn't acknowledge his protests.

 

“Now get out of my diner,” Mickey added with a menacing tone. “Before I break every knuckle on your fucking hand, all fifteen of them!”

 

“This isn't your diner.” Henry said, condescending. “And a hand only has fourteen knuckles.”

 

Mickey took a step toward the other man. Henry was taller by at least a head, but Mickey was way, way, scarier.

 

“You wanna try me?”

 

Henry just shook his head and released his grasp on the girl.

 

“Good.” Mickey smirked. “Now get out of here and never come back. If I ever see you again, if you cross my path one more time, I'll make good on that promise and break your fucking hand!”

 

~~~

 

A few minutes later, Ian was following Mickey back into the locker room for their fifteen-minutes break.

 

“Why the fuck did you do that?” the redhead yelled. “Scare Henry away?”

 

“The guy was a fucking douche!” Mickey shouted back.

 

“So what? It's my fucking life! If I want to date a douche, you have no right to do anything about it!”

 

“Oh yeah? Like you were planning on living happily ever after with him?”

 

“Fuck you! Don't suddenly pretend you care about my happiness!”

 

Ian didn't see it coming, maybe he should have had, but Mickey's fist connected with his face so fast he didn't have time to dodge it. He did have time though to punch back. Straight in the nose. And Mickey pushed Ian violently against the lockers. And Ian headbutted Mickey. And Mickey kissed Ian. _Wait what?_ He crashed their lips together, hard and possessive, and Ian reciprocated the exact same way, opening his mouth to let Mickey's tongue slide in, and placing a gentle hand behind his head. One of them moaned, or maybe both of them. They rutted against each other, and Mickey grabbed both of Ian's hands to hold them tight above their heads. The redhead felt fingers fumble with the zipper and buttons of his jeans, and his boxers being pulled down, before a hand grabbed his already hard cock. Ian gasped, and Mickey left his mouth to kiss him roughly along his jawline and neck. And Ian let him do all that, because he knew it was Mickey's way of marking his territory, and, to be honest, Ian had wanted nothing else since that morning after Jason and Stephanie's engagement party. So, right now, in the locker room of their shitty diner, Ian let Mickey do anything he wanted, even when he felt the tip of Mickey's dick brush against his ass, and then the same dick being pushed all the way in, no lube, no prep, no condom, with just a little bit of spit.

 

“Holy fucking shit!”

 

Ian's eyes opened wide and his head tilted back, hitting the locker behind him. Mickey stilled and kissed gently Ian's neck, before raising his head, blue eyes meeting greens for the first time that day.

 

“You okay?” he asked softly.

 

The redhead took a long, deep, breath.

 

“Yeah.” he smiled. “Just... go slow...”

 

Mickey nodded and released Ian's hands, before pushing into him once more, slowly like he had been asked, his face back into the redhead's neck, breathing hotly against the skin. Ian took the time to get used to the stretch – he wasn't usually a bottom, and he hadn't been ready for this situation, at all – but once it started to feel pleasurable enough, he grabbed Mickey's ass, summoning him to go faster, and harder, until all rhythm was lost, and Mickey came hard in Ian's ass. He pulled out quickly and started to jerk Ian's still hard dick. It only took a couple of strokes before the redhead was coming too. Mickey whipped his hand on the corner of his apron, and both men zipped their pants back up. They stood there, looking at each other, and still panting. Ian was starting to expect Mickey would bolt, but before the black-haired man could do anything, the door slammed open and Iris appeared in the room.

 

“Guys! What the fuck are you doing? You disappeared for almost twenty minutes, Greta is loosing her shit!”

 

The girl looked between the two men still immobile in their spots, and noticed Mickey's nose.

 

“Shit Mickey! You're bleeding? What happened to your nose?”

 

“I'm fine.” the black-haired man answered, batting the girl's hand away from his face.

 

“Did you guys fight?” Iris almost cried. “Ian you have a bruise under your eye! Seriously, what's wrong with you two?”

 

~~~

 

Mickey walked to the door, and turned away. And he turned back to the door, before changing his mind again. No, nope, he didn't need the alcohol to do that. Not again, no. Not this time. He took a deep breath, and really walked away from the bar this time, letting his feet lead him to the place he knew how too well. He climbed the stairs of the building very slowly, his heart beating fast inside his chest. Why was his heart beating so fast? Was he nervous? Why was he nervous? He reached the right floor and stopped, taking another deep breath. Okay, he could do this, it wasn't that hard. Just a talk, a little talk. Easy. Humans talked all the time. He raised his hand and knocked on the door. Three short, anxious, knocks.

 

~~~

 

Ian opened his door, honestly surprised to see Mickey here. After that sexy encounter in the locker room, he had seriously thought the other man would ignore him again, or deny it ever happened. But Mickey was here, coming on his own free will to Ian's apartment, and looking nervous as hell, biting his lower lip, his eyes looking anywhere but at the redhead.

 

“Hey.” Mickey said shyly. “Can we... talk?”

 

“Sure,” Ian replied with a smile, opening his door wider to let the black-haired man in.

 

Mickey stepped inside the apartment and looked around like he had never been there before and was just discovering the place, taking a random object, observing it for a bit, and putting it back down.

 

“You know,” he finally spoke, while being apparently very interested in Ian's painted rock Liam had offered him when the little boy was still in kindergarten. “I do care about your happiness.”

 

Ian nodded, but didn't have time to answer before Mickey talked again.

 

“I care about you. And I like you, and not just as a friend. But I can't... I can't give you everything that you want. Not like that. I need time. I need you to give me time.”

 

Ian nodded again and went to sit on the couch.

 

“Okay.” he simply answered, and Mickey finally looked at him.

 

“Okay?”

 

“Yeah.” Ian smiled. “Okay I can give you time. I want to be here for you, with you.”

 

The two men stared at each other for a beat.

 

“But don't ever pull another shit like this afternoon!” Ian added, suddenly breaking the silence. “My ass hurt like hell!”

 

Mickey smirked and went to sit next to him on the couch.

 

“Oh yeah?” he asked with a smug grin.

 

“Yeah.” Ian acquiesced. “No lube, no condom, no prep, that's just crazy! Plus it's not like I'm used to bottom. I usually like to give it.”

 

“You do, huh?”

 

The two men had gotten closer on the couch, and Mickey's voice was low and challenging, it went straight to Ian's cock.

 

“Give it real good...” the redhead said, as sensually as he could.

 

Mickey's pupils widened, and his next words were barely audible.

 

“Show me.”

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This sex scene was so... I don't know... I'm not really confident about it... Does it work though? Or is it just too weird and unrealistic?


	9. The graduation party

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mickey meets with Mandy after his first night with Ian.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You all have been so wonderful with me on the last chapter, that I decided to post this new chapter early, as a thank you. And this chapter is 1000 words longer than the previous one! :)

 

Mickey pulled his pants back up and grabbed his T-shirt from the floor.

 

“You're not staying?” Ian asked, still lying naked on the bed.

 

“No man. Mandy invited me for breakfast in the morning and I can't show up with the same clothes I wore today, she'd give me hell for it.”

 

Mickey saw Ian's face fell at the words, so he leaned in to kiss him softly.

 

“Next time, I promise.”

 

~~~

 

A few years ago, oh hell, a few _months_ ago, you would have told Mickey Milkovich he'd one day enjoy having a dick up his ass, he would have laughed at you, and maybe even punched you. But now, as he was walking up the stairs to his sister's apartment, he could feel the soft pain, last result of the good pounding Ian Gallagher had given him last night. His big black dildo was one thing, a real dick used by someone who really knew what he was doing, was a completely different world. He actually saw stars this time, and he, finally, had his first real mind-blowing sex. Yep, that happened. He knew now why people liked sex so much, it could be amazing when you found the way you liked it. Although, Mickey wasn't sure yet how he felt about _'the way he liked it'_. With a guy. Bottoming. Shit, that was scary...

 

Mandy opened the door with a cheerful grin on her face and, of course, of fucking course, the first thing she noticed was the hickey Ian had left on Mickey's neck. _Possessive fucker._

 

“Oh Mick, you got laid?!”

 

“Shut up Mandy.”

 

“Who is she? Don't tell me it was Danielle again...”

 

Mickey shook his head.

 

“It wasn't Danielle.”

 

“Good.” Mandy genuinely smiled.

 

The woman served a cup of coffee to her brother, and slipped a plate of already prepared pancakes his way. Mickey poured a spectacular amount of syrup on them, and noticed his sister watching him like a hawk.

 

“What?”

 

“It was just a one-night-stand, or you're gonna see her again?”

 

Mickey sighed.

 

“Jesus Mandy, can't you mind your own fucking business for once?”

 

The woman just shook her head, a giant smirk on her face.

 

“Okay.” Mickey conceded. “It wasn't just a one-night-stand.”

 

Mandy almost jumped on her seat with a mixture of excitement and surprise.

 

“Really?” she squealed. “It's the first time I ever hear you say that! Even when you stick with a girl for a while it always starts by _'it was just a fuck Mands'_.”

 

It was Mickey's turn to smirk.

 

“Who said it's just starting?”

 

Mandy hit her brother hard on the shoulder.

 

“You little shit! You have a new girlfriend and you didn't tell me?!”

 

“Didn't say that.” Mickey shrugged, going back to his pancakes.

 

“Well whatever you are, and whoever she is, she makes you smile.” Mandy noted. “And you know I'm happy when you're happy.”

 

Mickey was about to reply something witty when the front door burst open, and an over-excitement Ian walked in.

 

“Hey guys! I brought coffee! Starbucks coffee, so you know it's good!”

 

The Milkovich siblings exchanged a worried look.

 

“You okay Ian?” Mandy asked carefully.

 

“I'm great! And before you ask, I'm not off my meds, I'm just happy!”

 

Mandy smiled, slightly relieved.

 

“Okay, so what causes your extra good mood?”

 

“First of all,” Ian started, while dropping his coffee on the counter. “I had amazing sex last night.”

 

And the redhead punctuated his words by smashing a wet kiss on Mickey's temple. The black-haired man grimaced and pushed him away, cleaning his skin with the back of his hand; but Ian didn't seem to care and kissed Mandy as fervently on the cheek.

 

“I guess I'm the only one who didn't get laid last night.” the woman laughed. “Apparently Mickey here made passionate love to his new girlfriend.”

 

Mickey grunted, but Ian turned to him with a thousand watt smile.

 

“He did? Really?”

 

Mickey shrugged.

 

“Anyway.” Ian continued. “I also went to check on my grades this morning, and guess what? I passed all my exams with flying colors! I'm graduating college! Finally!”

 

Mandy shrieked and pulled the redhead toward her in a tight hug.

 

“Ian that's great! I'm so proud of you!!!”

 

And, this time, even Mickey hinted a smile.

 

~~~

 

The three of them ate breakfast happily, until Mandy declared she had to change her clothes for work, and headed toward her bedroom. Mickey stood up to put the dishes in the sink, and Ian was quick to sneak his arms around his waist, holding him from behind and leaving a few soft kisses on his neck.

 

“Get off me!” Mickey demanded without real conviction. “Mandy could come back any second.”

 

Ian ignored him completely.

 

“So you had great sex last night, huh?”

 

“Shut up.” Mickey smiled.

 

“I want to celebrate.”

 

“The great sex?”

 

Ian slid a hand under Mickey's shirt.

 

“No you idiot, my graduation.”

 

“Oh yeah that.” Mickey breathed, trying to keep his dick in check, trying not to succumb under Ian's touch. “We can celebrate.”

 

“We?” Ian repeated in a whisper.

 

Mickey wasn't able to stop his next moan from escaping his lips.

 

“Yeah... You, me, Mandy, Iris, and the others.”

 

Ian's hand stopped just at the hem of Mickey's pants, and the redhead suddenly pulled off, stepping away from Mickey.

 

“Oh. Okay. Sure.”

 

The black-haired man was about to ask for an explanation for this change of mood, but Mandy's voice interrupted him, and the woman was soon back in the kitchen.

 

“So Ian, I was thinking: we should totally celebrate your graduation!”

 

“My thoughts exactly Mands!” the redhead smiled.

 

Mandy sat back on her chair.

 

“So about last night Ian.” she spoke cheerfully. “Was he a new guy or...?”

 

Ian smiled shyly.

 

“No, actually... Remember Tim?”

 

“Tim? Mystery guy Tim who almost broke your heart because you wanted different things, and who had you so unhappy these past few months?”

 

Ian cleared his throat and looked down at his hands.

 

“Yeah him. Well it was him I was with...”

 

“So you guys are finally together?”

 

Ian hesitated before answering.

 

“Not yet... But things are better than before, that's for sure.”

 

“So we're gonna meet him?”

 

Ian smiled.

 

“One day yes.”

 

Mickey, who had been silently listening until now, emitted a noise between a grunt and a chuckle.

 

“Not sure I want to meet this joker.”

 

“Oh but you will like him Mick!” Ian exclaimed happily.

 

“Is that so? What makes you so sure I won't just bash his head against a wall?”

 

Ian was silent for a moment, looking at Mickey straight in the eyes.

 

“I just know.”

 

Mandy caught the weird vibe passing between the two men.

 

“So you two are better now?” she wondered. “What happened?”

 

Ian detached his eyes from Mickey and turned back to her, while the black-haired man raised an eyebrow.

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“These past couple of months there was this constant tension between you two. Ever since you kicked Mickey out, Ian. But today you seem okay, kinda like before.”

 

The two men exchanged a look.

 

“Yeah, we fought it off.”

 

“Fought it off?”

 

“Yes, physically. With our fists and all.”

 

“Oh. That explains the black eye and the crooked nose.”

 

Ian suddenly turned to Mickey, touching his nose lightly with the tip of his finger, like he hadn't noticed it before.

 

“Shit. I'm sorry Mick.”

 

“S'fine.” the man grunted. “Just stop touching it.”

 

Ian took his finger off rapidly, and Mandy stood up.

 

“Anyway.” she declared. “I gotta go to work. You guys can slam the door on your way out?”

 

“Sure.”

 

“Thanks. See you later losers!”

 

As soon as the door closed, Ian was back on Mickey, devouring his mouth. The black-haired man kissed him back for a while, before pulling away.

 

“Not that I wouldn't love to fuck in my sister's kitchen, but we have to go to work too. And after yesterday, Greta is on the edge with us, we can't be late, because I know you don't really need that job anymore Mr Graduate, but I do.”

 

Ian sighed, but agreed, and both men started to walk toward the door. Just before the redhead opened it, Mickey grabbed his arm and turned him around to kiss him one last time.

 

“I'm proud of you too, you know.”

 

~~~

 

Thighs touching thighs, fingers lingering for a second too long, eyes looking discreetly, and smiles, so many smiles; by the time he was allowed a break, Mickey needed so much more than a cigarette, but he still lit one anyway, taking the edge off at least a little bit. Fortunately, the back door of the diner opened again barely a minute after Mickey had stepped outside, and Ian joined him in the dimly lit alley. Looks were exchanged again, and Mickey took one last drag of his cigarette before handing it to the redhead.

 

“Meet me in the bathroom in two.” he just said before walking back inside.

 

~~~

 

Once again, Mickey was putting his clothes back on while Ian laid naked in bed.

 

“You know,” the redhead said. “We've been hooking up every night and several times a day for a week now.”

 

“Not my fault if you're so horny.” Mickey replied.

 

“Yeah, like you aren't asking for it half the time!”

 

Mickey smirked, but Ian had other matters in mind.

 

“Yet, you never stay. And here you go again, leaving one more time.”

 

“I have to go help Mandy prepare your party.”

 

“I'm sure she won't mind you being late.” Ian tried to bargain. “Just ten minutes Mick...”

 

Mickey sighed and shook his head, but ultimately climbed back in bed next to a very clingy redhead.

 

“Fine. But only ten minutes.”

 

“I'll tell Mandy it's my fault if you're late.”

 

“No you won't. Because she'll ask questions and we don't want that.”

 

“ _You_ don't want that.”

 

“Ian.”

 

“I know, I know.”

 

The redhead dropped his head on Mickey's shoulder and started to trace soothing circles with a finger on the other man's torso. He knew Mickey wasn't ready to come out to the world, and especially to his sister. The redhead knew he had to be patient, but sometimes he just wanted to shout to everybody that Mickey was spending his nights with him, and only him.

 

Ten minutes turned into an hour, finding Mickey suddenly startling awake, dragging Ian out of sleep in the process.

 

“Shit! Mandy's gonna kill me!”

 

“Just say you were picking me up and I wasn't ready.” Ian supplied, putting his clothes on quickly. “I took forever to get dressed or something like that. So that way we can arrive together, and she won't be mad at me because it's my graduation party.”

 

Mickey agreed, and that's what they did; and even though Mandy was still kind of mad at her brother, her anger vanished away within the first couple of drinks.

 

~~~

 

Mickey looked at his... _Ian_ dance happily with Iris for god knows how many songs. These kids were tireless! And the redhead sent Mickey a smile once in a while. He even tried to get him to dance, but the black-haired man stayed stuck in his chair. He knew very well Ian could make him do a lot of things, but not dancing, Mickey still had principles after all.

 

Toward the end of the party, when half the guests were already gone, Ian dropped on the couch next to Mickey and leaned his head on the other man's shoulder. Mickey resisted the urge to shove him away, the only people around were too drunk to even notice them anyway.

 

“You okay there?”

 

“Tired.” Ian yawned.

 

“I can drive you back home if you want.” Mickey suggested. “Or I could take you back to my place, and let you stay the night...”

 

Ian's head jumped back up at the words and he didn't look so tired anymore.

 

“Okay, let's do this before you take it back!”

 

~~~

 

Ian backed Mickey against the door as soon as it closed, attacking his mouth and unbuttoning his shirt.

 

“Somebody is eager I see.” Mickey laughed between two kisses.

 

“Why? You got a problem with that?” Ian asked, pecking Mickey's neck.

 

“No, not at all...” Mickey answered, and it was his turn to rip Ian's clothes off, pushing him backwards until they reached the bedroom.

 

The redhead's knees hit the bed, and he fell heavily onto the mattress, his shirt long gone and his pants around his ankles. Mickey climbed above him and kissed him again.

 

“Wait, wait, wait.” Ian breathed, pulling his lips away. “Can you just...?”

 

He waggled his feet behind Mickey's back and the other man understood, finishing to strip the redhead, before taking his own clothes off. Once both of them naked, Mickey begun to trail small kisses from Ian's jawline to his pelvis. Ian grabbed his shoulders.

 

“Mick you don't... You don't have to...”

 

Mickey looked up at him with hooded eyes.

 

“I want to. Believe me, I wouldn't do it if I didn't.”

 

Ian smiled and leaned his head back on the pillow.

 

“Okay then.”

 

“Just... warn me.”

 

Ian barely had time to nod before Mickey dived in, engulfing Ian's cock in his mouth avidly.

 

“Oh shit!”

 

Mickey's technique was lacking, and his movements were sloppy, but he was incredibly enthusiast, and pretty good at it for a first time. Okay, scratch that. Very good at it. He had Ian's eyes rolling in his head in no time, and the redhead pulled him away tightly by the hair.

 

“Mick, Mick, stop. I'm gonna...”

 

Mickey released his dick with a loud _pop_ and smirked, licking his lips, and whipping the saliva off his chin. Ian brought him up to kiss him deeply, tasting himself on Mickey's tongue, and slipping a dry finger between his ass cheeks. Mickey escaped the kiss to grab the lube with one hand, while keeping Ian down on the bed with the other. And he did something – something that had Ian almost coming right there and then – he touched himself languorously, preparing himself, making a show of it, and slapping Ian's hand away every time the redhead tried to help. Once he was ready enough – which didn't take long considering he was still kinda loose from that afternoon – Mickey rolled a condom on Ian's hard and leaking penis, coated it with some more lube, and slowly sank backwards, pushing himself onto Ian's cock inch by inch, his head flat on the redhead's torso. And Ian hated that his eyes closed from too much pleasure, he wanted to enjoy the fact that it was the first time they were fucking face to face. So when Mickey started moving, lifting himself up, and sinking back down at a steady rhythm, Ian forced his eyes open, and met Mickey's deep blue pupils looking straight at him. Ian gripped Mickey's thighs and moved his hips in sync with the other man. It didn't take long before their movements became erratic, and Ian sat up, wrapping his arms around Mickey. The change in position had Ian's dick hit just that right spot inside Mickey, and the black-haired man cried in pleasure, his cock rubbing between their chests, getting all the attention it needed to come in an instant. Ian hid his face in Mickey's neck, feeling his own orgasm build up, and a couple more thrusts made him come, three little words escaping his lips as he coated the inside of the condom.

 

“I love you.”

 


	10. The number

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The aftermath of Ian's "three little words".

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here goes a short transitional chapter.

 

“I love you.”

 

It took exactly twelve seconds for Mickey' blissed out mind to react. And he froze, he actually froze when his brain finally registered the words. He had never said 'I love you' to anybody but Mandy, and even that took him almost twenty years. And here Ian was, jumping a hundred steps in their relationship. Mickey had just started to accept the idea that he might be gay, it had took him months to arrive to that place where he could have sex with another man every night without feeling sick or guilty in the morning. He had just opened up to Ian, just begun to let him in. Mickey had never been one for relationships, and it was the first time he had been so committed after only one week of fucking – and several months of pining, but whatever – but that didn't mean he was ready to say, or even hear, those three little words. It was too fucking early!

 

Before Ian could comprehend what was happening, Mickey was climbing off the bed, putting his clothes back on, and walking toward the door.

 

“Mick, wait!” Ian ran after him. “I don't love you, okay? I don't. Please don't go.”

 

But Mickey wasn't listening, and his hand was already on the door knob.

 

“Mick.” Ian pleaded. “You can't, you can't... You can't run away from your own fucking apartment! Please?”

 

Mickey dropped his hand, but his eyes stayed focus on the floor.

 

“You can't say shit like that.” he murmured. “Not when we've only been starting... whatever we're starting.”

 

“I know.” Ian conceded, taking a step forward, very conscious that Mickey was fully dressed while he was still completely naked. “I'm sorry, it just came out...”

 

Mickey nodded slowly.

 

“Please, come back to bed?” Ian begged again.

 

His voice was low and unsure, and Mickey sighed, but finally took the few steps separating them from the bedroom. It was only when the redhead sat between the sheets that Mickey spoke again, not joining Ian on the bed just yet.

 

“Did you mean it though?” he asked, whispering.

 

Ian looked down at his hands. Yes, he did mean it. He hadn't known until then, or maybe he hadn't been ready to see it, but when Ian had said the words he had instantly known they were true. He didn't say any of that out loud though, but his silence was answer enough for Mickey.

 

“You should go.”

 

“Mickey...

 

“Leave. Please.”

 

~~~

 

Three days. _Only_ three days some would say, but it felt like an eternity for Ian. Three days without seeing Mickey, without receiving any news from him. The two men didn't have the same shifts at work, and Mickey wasn't answering any of Ian's texts and calls. When Wednesday came around, and Mickey stepped into the diner five minutes after Ian, the redhead released the breath he had been holding during these three long days. But Mickey barely acknowledged him, going straight to work, and sending Ian back into a pit of angst and uncertainty. And with Greta in a particularly great mood today, it was impossible for Ian to even find thirty seconds to talk to his... friend? boyfriend? fuck buddy? So the redhead went on his shift, perfectly aware he was being morose and not so nice to costumers, but also not being able to do anything about it.

 

“Would you like a dessert with that?” he recited, not looking away from his notepad. “Maybe try one of our pies?”

 

The woman raised her head, looking utterly disappointed to see Ian there.

 

“Where is your coworker? The cute brunet with the gorgeous blue eyes? He was taking care of me until now.”

 

Ian sighed. So he wasn't the only one to want Mickey...

 

“It was time for his employee-regulated break.” the redhead explained. “I'll be taking over your table from now on.”

 

“Too bad,” the woman shrugged. “He was cute. I would have loved to have him for dessert.”

 

Ian was quite taken aback by her bluntness, but decided to be honest with her in return.

 

“I do believe he's taken though.”

 

The woman raised her eyebrows at him.

 

“He is? Well he did take my number, so it mustn't be that serious.”

 

Ian's heart sunk at the words, but he forced himself to keep a straight face.

 

“I guess not...” he sighed again.

 

“You okay, honey?” the woman worried.

 

Ian wasn't apparently very good at keeping emotions out of his face and eyes.

 

“Yes, yes.” he confessed. “I will... I will be right back to take your order.”

 

And he flew the scene of the crime as soon as possible – the crime being his heart shattered into pieces. He exiled himself in the kitchen and took a few deep breaths, leaning against a counter. Okay. So Mickey was avoiding him and accepting random girls' numbers. True, they never said they were exclusive, but that was just a dick move. Ian took one last deep breath, composing himself and going back out there before Greta could notice anything.

 

“So, about this dessert?” he asked the woman again with the biggest smile he could muster – which wasn't much.

 

“It's you, huh?” was the costumer's reply. “The person my cute waiter is with, it's you?”

 

Ian wasn't sure how to answer, so he said nothing. But, of course, the woman took it as a big fat yes.

 

“So I guess you're not really on the same page.”

 

Ian nodded discreetly, accompanied by a vague shrug.

 

“You know, maybe it's time to have _'the talk'_ , don't you think?”

 

“I kinda said I loved him already.” Ian suddenly blurted out, actually relieved to have someone to talk to honestly about his whole 'relationship'. “We've only been really seeing each other for a week and I told him I love him. But, for my defense, we've known each other for years, and something has been kind of happening between us for several months now.”

 

The woman grinned.

 

“Look ginger, you probably freaked your boyfriend out, not gonna lie here, but I don't think things are totally unfixable.” she said nicely. “From the way he's been sneaking glances at you, and not me, since we began talking, I'm guessing your man still wants you. So go talk to him. And if, even after that, he still calls me, I promise I'll send him away.”

 

Ian turned around to see Mickey, back from his break, suddenly getting very busy by the counter, avoiding Ian's gaze at all cost. The redhead turned back to his customer.

 

“Thanks...” he said with his first real smile of the day.

 

“Angela.” the woman supplied.

 

“Ian.”

 

Angela nodded, and handed Ian a few bills.

 

“Here's for my meal. Plus a little extra tip to share with your boyfriend.”

 

And she left the diner with a wink.

 

~~~

 

As Ian walked up to him, Mickey felt the little piece of paper burn holes in the back pocket of his jeans. When the woman had started flirting with him, he had thought about turning her down, but then he remembered he was mad at Ian, so he had played along and accepted her number. Now, however, he felt incredibly guilty, especially after seeing Ian talk to her, and, by the way they looked at him toward the end, they were definitively talking about him. The redhead arrived at Mickey's height, and handed him a twenty.

 

“What's that?”

 

“Tip. From Angela.” Ian explained with a nod in the vague direction of the table the woman had been sitting at. “You made quite an impression on her.”

 

Mickey grunted something inaudible and pocketed the money. He thought Ian would try to talk to him more, but the redhead just walked away to go wait on another table.

 

“You're not gonna ask me about it?”

 

“About what?”

 

“She gave me her number, and I took it.”

 

“So? You're gonna call her?”

 

“What?”

 

“I asked her if you're going to call her. She's cute, and she seems nice.”

 

“I... uh...”

 

Mickey stopped walking between two tables, while Ian cheerfully greeted his new customers. Until then, the black-haired man had thought he had the upper hand, he had noticed Ian's mood from before; but this Angela woman, whatever she did, had turned the table completely around. And Mickey wasn't sure anymore what his next move should be. So when Ian walked past him again, Mickey followed his Milkovich blood and chose aggression.

 

“So what if I call her? What you're gonna do about it?”

 

“Nothing Mick.” Ian stated calmly. “It's your life.”

 

And that was a bust... How could the redhead be so cool so suddenly?

 

“You're not even gonna try to talk me out of it?”

 

“Nope.”

 

“Why?”

 

Ian sighed, and turned on his heels to fully face Mickey.

 

“As I said: it's your life. And even if I'm sure you like me at least half as much as I like you, I'm tired of your indecision and your weird little games. I understand why you want to keep us quiet for now, but I'm sick of you running away every time we become too intimate for your taste. Yes, I know I've said some things way too early, and I'm sorry about that, but I can't be the only one who makes sacrifices here. We have nothing to be ashamed of, and you have no one to hide from, but if you'd still rather be with a woman I won't stop you. I'll be devastated, but I won't stop you. Because I want you to be happy, and if being with a woman makes you happy, then so be it.”

 

You know these moments in life when you feel like you're at the end of a movie, when the main character kisses the love of his life in public after one of them made a beautiful speech, under the applause of all the people around? Mickey knew this was his moment, the perfect moment when he should have kissed Ian in the middle of the diner and just be with him, and screw everything and everyone around them. But he didn't, and seconds after he finished his little speech, Ian turned around to take a costumer's order with a smile. And Mickey was left there, dumbfounded, until Greta barked at him to get back to work. And that was it, the moment was over.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it was so short, but next chapter's gonna be long and awesome.
> 
> Also Angela might be season 5 Angela, or not, as you wish.


	11. The romantic getaway

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mickey wants to make a "grand romantic gesture" to show Ian that he cares.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this took a darker tone than I thought it would... It was supposed to be mainly smut, but a conversation about Terry sneaked its way in there. So warnings: mentions of Terry, and fag-bashing, and child abuse.

 

“Can I ask you a question?”

 

Mandy swallowed her mouthful of burger before answering her brother.

 

“Shoot.”

 

Mickey hesitated for a second. His sister was going to laugh, or smile and coo, or other stupid girly shit like that. But he asked anyway, he was really desperate for some help.

 

“What kind of... stuff do you get someone when you want to make a sort of... _'grand romantic gesture'_?”

 

Mandy coughed her water.

 

“Who the fuck are you? And what have you done with my brother?”

 

“Come on Mands, it's important.”

 

“Yeah, I can see that, and it's why I'm worried!” Mandy laughed. “It's for this girlfriend of yours? Damn, she really has you whipped!”

 

“Whatever.” Mickey sighed, shaking his head. “Forget I ever asked.”

 

Mandy stopped smirking, and put a hand on her brother's arm.

 

“No, no. Mick.” she said, coming back to being serious. “I'm sorry, I'll help. What kind of _'gesture'_ are we talking about?”

 

“Well...” Mickey looked down at his plate, it was hard for him to talk about these kind of stuff with his sister, about feelings, they never really had that type of relationship, and Mickey usually only spoke his mind to tell people to fuck off. “I've been kinda... distant lately.” he started. “For not so great reasons. And I just want to show that I actually care, under all my 'no commitment' bullshit.”

 

Mandy nodded. Of course she understood her brother completely, but it didn't stop her from being surprised, because she still was, Mickey was so into this mysterious girl it was almost scary to see him like this.

 

“Flowers are always nice.” she said. “And chocolate. Or jewelry, if you want to put some money on it.”

 

Mickey shook his head.

 

“Not really the type...”

 

“Interesting...” Mandy smirked. “What does she like?”

 

“I don't know... Stuff?”

 

“Okay, Mick, you gotta work with me here!” Mandy laughed. She thought about it for a second, before adding: “What about you cook her a nice meal?”

 

Mickey grimaced, apart from frozen pizza bagels shoved into the oven, he wasn't so much of a cook.

 

“Oh yeah right.” Mandy sighed. “So... I don't know... A romantic getaway?”

 

Mickey smiled at the idea.

 

“That's actually pretty good...” he said pensively. “It could work...”

 

“Thank you little sister of mine that I love and cherish more than any other woman in the entire world?”

 

If only she knew how true this statement was...

 

“Thanks Mandy.”

 

~~~

 

Once every two weeks or so, Ian had two days off in a row. This time, it happened to be a Friday and a Saturday. And on Thursday night, Ian received a text. From Mickey. Who he hadn't talk to since the day before at the diner when the other man had accepted Angela's phone number.

 

_[From Mickey] Clear your schedule for the next two days. And pack a bag._

 

Ian's phone rang again only three seconds later.

 

_[From Mickey] And if Mandy asks, tell her you got a family gathering or some shit._

 

Ian smiled and sent a reply message asking for more details, but receiving no answer he decided to just blindly obey Mickey, and filled a duffel bag with some clothes, his toothbrush and his meds. And then he waited. He sat on his couch and flickered through the channels on TV; he texted Mandy he wasn't available to hang out because Fiona had decided to organize a good old-fashion Gallagher blow-out, and that he would probably spend the week-end there; he checked his phone every two minutes and a half for an answer from Mickey. And he waited. He waited until 10pm when Mickey showed up at his door.

 

“Where we going?” was the question Ian asked every five minutes, from the second he opened the door of his apartment to the silent drive in Mickey's car, until he finally got some sort of answer from the other man.

 

“Be patient, Jesus! You'll see. And be grateful I didn't blindfold you!”

 

Ian smiled.

 

“That could be kinda kinky though...”

 

Mickey quickly shot his eyebrows at Ian before focusing back on the road.

 

“I'll keep that in mind...”

 

~~~

 

After roughly an hour and a half of driving, Mickey parked the car. In the middle of the woods. Next to a very creepy-looking log cabin.

 

“That's it.” Ian said, not getting out of the vehicle. “That's where you're gonna kill me, right?”

 

Mickey rolled his eyes, and proceeded to take their stuff out of the trunk of the car and toward the cabin. He opened the squeaky door, and when he turned back Ian was still in the car.

 

“Are you gonna stay here all night?”

 

“This is seriously where you're taking me?”

 

“Oh stop being such a pussy Gallagher! I thought you were the one who did all those ROTC retreats and shit when you were younger?!”

 

“Yeah, but it wasn't in places that looked straight out of a horror movie!”

 

Mickey rolled his eyes again.

 

“If you want to stay in the car, suit yourself. But I'm sleeping in a bed tonight!”

 

~~~

 

The cabin looked almost as scary from the inside, with all those dead animal heads hanging from the walls, and the hunting rifles in display.

 

“What is this place?” Ian asked, whispering from fear that the serial killer hiding in the closet would hear him and start his murderous attacks.

 

“The cabin my old man used to stay at when he went on hunting trips with his gun club buddies.” Mickey answered, his voice too loud for Ian's taste, and he began to turn all the lights on. “I don't think anybody's been here in years. I came here this afternoon and I had to clean a shit ton of spider webs and empty beer cans. And you'd be even more freaked out if you'd seen the years old carcasses I found in the back!”

 

Ian took a little tour. Okay, maybe with the lights on it wasn't that creepy after all – except for the animal heads, this shit was really horrible. All the furniture was made of wood similar to the walls and floor. The main room was composed of a small kitchenette, a dining table, and a maroon leather couch facing a beautiful stone-made fireplace. The door on the right led to a hallway with four more doors, one had to be the bathroom Ian guessed, and maybe three bedrooms? Mickey took their bags again and led Ian to the hallway.

 

“Bathroom.” he said, pointing to the first door on the right. “Those in the back are two other bedrooms. And this...” he opened the first door on the left. “Used to be my dad's bedroom.”

 

The room wasn't big, but it had nice wooden furniture as well, a small desk with a chair, a four-drawers dresser, and a queen size bed taking most of the space – on which Ian recognized Mickey's sheets, comforter, and throw-pillows from the couch of his apartment, and were those...

 

“Rose petals?”

 

And candles were laid out on every surface available. Mickey shrugged, and looked down at the floor, obviously embarrassed.

 

“Thought it looked nice...”

 

Ian took the brunet's face between his long fingers and forced him to look up, kissing him softly on the lips.

 

“It is nice. And romantic.”

 

This time, Mickey full-on blushed.

 

“Yeah, I tried to make a gesture... Plus it's a nice 'fuck you' to my dad, the man who used to take us on fag-bashing family trips.”

 

Ian released Mickey's face to hold his hands.

 

“You never talk about him, your dad...”

 

Mickey averted his eyes to the bed, the desk, and the floor, looking at everywhere but Ian.

 

“There ain't much to say. He was a homophobic prick. He got so much into my head that it took me twenty-six years to even consider the idea that, maybe, I like dick...”

 

“Is that why you and Mandy left the Southside?” Ian wondered softly. “Why you cut all ties with your family? Because of the 'fag-bashing trips'?”

 

“Is it really what you want to do right now?” Mickey asked, his eyes playful and a small smirk emerging on his lips. “Talk about my dad?”

 

Ian considered for a moment. He looked at the tempting bed the other man had put so much efforts into making, and he looked back at Mickey, thinking about all the barriers he had built to protect himself from a real relationship.

 

“Actually yes, I'd like to talk about him.” he admitted. “But if you don't want to, that's okay too.”

 

Mickey hesitated.

 

“It's just that it's not really my story to tell...” he said lowly. “But no, it wasn't because of the fag-bashings that I left home, that was just one thing among others, not that I enjoyed doing it, but it wasn't the worst.”

 

The redhead swallowed dryly.

 

“Yes, I know it sounds shitty when I say it like that.” Mickey added, seeing Ian's face fell. “But some days I preferred when my dad went beating on some poor gay guy in the street than... than having him beat on us, or...”

 

Ian saw the tears filling Mickey's eyes immediately, and squeezed his hands.

 

“It's okay, it's okay. You don't have to tell me...”

 

The outline of a smile appeared on Mickey's lips, and he nodded slowly.

 

“One day. Maybe...”

 

Ian wrapped Mickey in a tight hug, and kissed the top of his head.

 

“Yeah, one day...”

 

~~~

 

They didn't mention Terry again for the next two days, but they did fuck in his bed. A lot.

 

“Mick, you're cooking?” Ian asked in fake surprise when walking into the main room on Friday morning – or noon, but whatever – and finding Mickey in front of the stove.

 

“Fuck you.” Mickey spat without any bite and half a laugh. “We do need to eat, to recharge our batteries. And it's not like we can order take out here.”

 

Ian wrapped his arms around his lover, his chest warm against the brunet's back.

 

“The way to a man's heart is through his stomach.” the redhead murmured in Mickey's ear.

 

“Oh yeah?” Mickey laughed. “I thought that was aiming about ten inches too high!”

 

“Speaking of which...”

 

Ian slipped his hand into Mickey's boxers – the only piece of clothing he was wearing, for no real reason really, he would have been naked if Ian had had his way.

 

“Again?” Mickey smiled.

 

“What? You're tired?”

 

“Told ya, we need to eat first. You already took your meds on an empty stomach...”

 

“Don't be my nurse please.” Ian demanded, taking his hand away.

 

Mickey turned into the redhead's arms to plant a small kiss on his lips.

 

“I'm not. I'm just worried, that's all.”

 

“Don't be. I can handle myself.”

 

“I know.”

 

“Good. Now keep cooking because you're kinda right...”

 

“Give me a hand maybe?” Mickey asked, turning back to face the stove.

 

Ian placed his fingers back into the other man's underwear.

 

“Not that hand!” Mickey jumped. “Jesus!”

 

Ian smirked and started stroking Mickey's quickly hardening dick.

 

“You seem to like it though...” the redhead whispered.

 

“Your hand is on my dick, of course I like it.”

 

Ian accelerated his movements, and Mickey leaned into the touch, resting his back against Ian's torso.

 

“Fuuuck...”

 

The black-haired man angled his head to capture the redhead's lips in a deep kiss. Ian gently rocked his hips and hard cock against Mickey's ass. When Mickey pushed back, Ian rocked harder, and harder, keeping his grip strong on the brunet's dick, until Mickey was coming in the redhead's hand, and Ian was coming in his boxers, his dick secured between Mickey's ass cheeks through two thin layers of cotton. The two men rested their foreheads against one another for a moment, coming down from their orgasms, until Ian spoke softly.

 

“Mick?”

 

“Mmmh...?”

 

“I think breakfast is burning.”

 

~~~

 

After a burned breakfast – or brunch, considering the late hour – a few more round of sex, and a burned dinner, the two men decided to light a fire and try to melt the marshmallows Mickey had brought. Who would have thought that such a primal human activity as making a fire could bring so much animosity? Ian wanted to do it the traditional way, rubbing two pieces of wood together, but after half an hour of cursing and Mickey rolling his eyes, the black-haired man took his lighter out, and beautiful orange flames were burning a few minutes later.

 

“I've never had s'mores before.” Mickey confessed, melting his umpteenth sweet treat of the night.

 

“I've had s'mores once above a marijuana bonfire.” Ian declared.

 

Mickey raised his eyebrows questioningly.

 

“Long story.” Ian replied with a dreamy smile, shaking his head at the memory of his family and neighbors dancing around a giant pile of fresh weed burning under the L.

 

Mickey engulfed his next s'more, and a bit of marshmallow melted with chocolate escaped the corner of his mouth. Ian couldn't help it: he leaned in and licked the sweet food, before going up and pecking Mickey on the lips. The other man deepened the kiss, placing his hand behind Ian's neck, their tongues dancing together on the taste of candy. The redhead's hands traveled along Mickey's back until he was able to carefully push him down on the floor, lying on top of him. They kissed some more, and slowly rubbed their pelvises together. When they both started moaning, Ian pulled away to be able to grab the lube and pack of condoms they had left on the couch from their last round. When he came back to Mickey, the black-haired man had already turned onto his front, and Ian's stomach tightened. They hadn't had sex face to face since that first time – when Ian had let those three little words slip out – during their entire fuck-marathon today Mickey had always been turning around, avoiding Ian's eyes, and the redhead wasn't brave enough to ask. But this time, this time he had to see Mickey, he just needed it.

 

~~~

 

“Please.” Mickey heard Ian say behind him, and he just knew what he was really asking. “I won't say it, I promise.”

 

Except Mickey wasn't afraid of Ian's words anymore, not after this _'romantic getaway'_ , not after Ian's speech at the diner, Mickey was afraid of his own words now, afraid of what he would say when he'd meet those green eyes reaching total bliss. But he turned around anyway, because it was Ian asking, and somehow he couldn't say no to him. And when Ian started thrusting slowly into him, and Mickey knew it wasn't just fucking anymore, when green eyes met blue, they just kissed, swallowing their words into each other's tongues.

 


	12. The other wedding

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mickey still hates wedding, but this time Ian is here to distract him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry I didn't post earlier, I started this new job recently and it took a lot of my time. Plus I had a “writer breakdown” (I don't know if it's a real thing, but it does exist in my world), I had too much to write and too little time to write it, and I kinda crashed. So I'm trying to take things slow right now. However, this chapter was really fun to write and will, hopefully, be really fun to read.

 

Weeks went by, and Ian was enjoying the hell out of his secret boyfriend – and even though the word was still kind of taboo, the redhead wasn't hesitating in using it all the time behind Mickey's back. To the world, he was Mysterious Tim who didn't want to meet any of Ian's friends just yet. And Mickey was with this amazing girl who made him smile all the time. The redhead was sometimes wondering how nobody had figured things out yet, but hey, it was their fault for being blind, because the two men were less and less discreet with time passing by. They started to hang out again like before, when they were only friends, smoking, drinking, watching movies, playing video games, except that now the evenings always ended up in the intimacy of the bedroom. And when they were in public, they exchanged knowing looks or playful smirks, and brushed against each other as often as they could. Mickey was relaxing in Ian's company, giving him more and more, opening himself up like he never did before. Ian was far gone, but he didn't mind, mostly because he suspected Mickey was as far as he was.

 

~~~

 

“Do we really have to go?” Mickey grumbled while trying to do his tie into a correct knot.

 

“Yes, we do.” Ian replied while batting the other man's hand away in an attempt to help him. “They're our friends, and they're getting married, it's important.”

 

“They're more like your friends...”

 

“But they still invited you, so you're going.”

 

“I hate weddings. Can't we just go to a movie instead or something? For once, we'd be sure we won't run into anybody we know because they'll all be at this shit show.”

 

“Like a date?” Ian almost cooed.

 

“I didn't say that.” Mickey replied, blushing and looking away.

 

“While I do like the idea of going on my very first date with you Mick, I'll have to take a rain check, because I'm going to this wedding and you're coming with me, even if I have to throw you in the trunk of my car to drive you there.”

 

“Like you could take me.” Mickey scoffed.

 

“Hey, don't try me.”

 

“Really Big Guy? What you're gonna do?”

 

Ian just smirked and leaned next to Mickey's ear, speaking low and sexy.

 

“When we come back, I'll do stuff to you in the bedroom you haven't even heard of...”

 

“Can't we just do that now?” Mickey asked, sounding very weak.

 

“Nope.” Ian smiled again, back to his cheerful self. “We have to go to the wedding first.”

 

~~~

 

Mickey sat there, in his chair, for most of the party. As usual, he had refused to dance, but it had only resulted in having to witness Ian shake his ass with fucking Ryan who couldn't stop touching him. Mickey was fuming. Couldn't the fucker keep his faggy paws away from his redhead? Yes, _his_ redhead, Ian was fucking his, and even if nobody knew about it, it didn't make it any less true.

 

Mickey was finishing his fourth glass of champagne when Ian sat next to him, brushing his knee lightly with the tip of his fingers – and the touch only sent sparks down Mickey's spine.

 

“You know, if looks could kill, I'm sure Ryan would be six feet under by now.”

 

“This asshole has no right to touch you like that.”

 

Ian smiled.

 

“You sure you don't wanna dance?”

 

“Fuck no.”

 

The redhead stood back up, sighing.

 

“Okay then, stay scary in your corner.”

 

And that's exactly what Mickey did. Until Ian came back about fifteen minutes later, and spoke softly in Mickey's ear.

 

“I found a nice supply closet in the back. If you want I can show you how not interested by Ryan my dick is.”

 

And Mickey was out of his chair in seconds.

 

~~~

 

Steph was a mess. Of course Steph was a mess, which bride isn't a mess on her wedding day? But what Mandy hadn't expected was to play substitute bridesmaid because Lisa and Claire were drunk out of their asses. So when Steph started to cry, yes _cry_ because she had broken a glass, Mandy came to the rescue and promised her she would find an entire box of glasses, just in case.

 

She found the supply closet quite easily, but when she approached the door she heard moaning inside. A couple was definitely fucking. Okay, maybe she shouldn't have opened the door, but she was a girl on a mission. Plus, she was kind of curious. And she regretted her curiosity dearly as what she saw scarred her for life. The already shattered glass she was holding broke into millions of pieces when it reached the floor.

 

“Holy shit!!!”

 

Both men, now aware of her presence, turned around and pulled their pants back on so incredibly fast. Mickey's eyes widened when he saw his sister standing here, and he just... ran away, leaving Mandy alone with an awkward looking Ian.

 

“Holy fuck.” the woman breathed after what felt like an eternity.

 

Her brain was flashing images and memories, putting the pieces back together, doing a puzzle that allowed her to understand the situation. She gestured vaguely toward the hallway Mickey had disappeared into.

 

“What... I... you... the fuck... What?”

 

Ian shrugged shyly.

 

“Yeah...”

 

Mandy's mouth gaped open, and then closed. She nodded her head a few times.

 

“How long...?”

 

“The first time was about six months ago.” Ian explained, unfazed. “But we've been an actual – thing for only a couple of months.”

 

“The fuck Ian? My brother?”

 

It was like a light had been turned on in Mandy's mind. Everything made so much more sense now. She punched the redhead in the arm, just because, and started to enumerate for herself all the times Ian talked about this guy he liked, or Mickey mentioned his new secret girlfriend.

 

“So like... this guy... Tim?”

 

Ian nodded.

 

“Yep, Mickey.”

 

_Oh my god._

 

“And that time... And that other time...”

 

She couldn't finish her sentences as too many suspicious moments came rushing back. But Ian seemed to have only one answer anyway.

 

“Yes, all Mickey.”

 

“Shit.”

 

The duo stood in the entrance of the closet for a while, Ian straightening his clothes and his hair, and Mandy letting months of lies and bullshit stories settle on her. After the few minutes she needed to digest it all, she spoke again.

 

“So Mickey kinda freaked out, no?”

 

Ian shrugged again, he seemed used to it.

 

“I think it was worse when I told him I love him.”

 

“You did what now?”

 

The redhead hinted a small smile.

 

“Shit Gallagher!” Mandy exclaimed, pulling her friend into a tight hug.

 

It was the first time she ever heard someone other than herself saying they loved her brother, and it was making her so happy to not only finally witness that day, but to also hear it coming from Ian, her second favorite person in the entire world. If she had been asked ten minutes ago to choose the perfect person for her brother, she wouldn't even have think about Ian, but now it made so much sense, and she was warming up to the idea by the second.

 

~~~

 

They found Mickey in the parking lot, leaning against Ian's car and nursing a bottle of vodka. The redhead sighed. He was used to Mickey's outbursts of terror in their relationship, but it didn't mean he liked them. He turned to Mandy and shot her a tiny smile.

 

“Could you... let me?” he asked, and she nodded, letting her friend go talk to his boyfriend alone.

 

Ian stopped in front of Mickey, and the black-haired man raised his head to look at him.

 

“You okay?”

 

Mickey nodded.

 

“I wanted to leave, but then I realized you drove me here, and we're so far away from civilization...”

 

Ian smiled, Mickey hadn't lost his witty repartee, and the bottle he was holding wasn't as empty as he first thought, which was a good sign.

 

“So... your sister...”

 

“Yep.”

 

“How do you feel about that?”

 

“Angry.”

 

“Why? She seems pretty okay with it.”

 

“And that's why. I'm angry at myself for thinking she'd hate me. Angry I didn't tell her sooner.”

 

Ian smiled wider, and brought Mickey against him for a hug. The brunet was stiff at first, they were never affectionate in public – even though it was only them and Mandy on the parking lot – but quickly returned the gesture, wrapping his arms around Ian.

 

“You can still talk to her now.” the redhead whispered.

 

Mickey took a moment, before he nodded, and Ian stepped away from him, dropping a kiss on his forehead, and waving for Mandy to come join them. When the woman arrived at their level, the redhead took a step aside to let the siblings talk.

 

“I'm sorry.” Mickey muttered, not looking up at his sister.

 

“Mickey, you don't have anything to be sorry for.”

 

“I should have told you...”

 

“Maybe. But I know now, so it's fine.”

 

A silence passed. Mickey looking at the ground, tracing circles on the sand with the tip of his shoe. Mandy staring vaguely above her brother's shoulder, probably thinking about what to say next. And Ian standing awkwardly a few feet away from them.

 

“So, you're like... bi?” Mandy wondered, making Mickey chuckle and finally raise his head.

 

“I don't think I ever liked pussy to be honest...”

 

Mandy smiled.

 

“And this new girl of yours that made you so happy, it was Ian right?”

 

It was Mickey's turn to smile.

 

“Yeah, I guess.”

 

“Well if he makes you happy, then I'm happy. As cheesy as it sounds.”

 

~~~

 

They went back to the wedding not long after that, and they didn't have the occasion to talk more for the rest of the night. So, on Sunday morning, Mandy climbed the stairs to Ian's apartment, very much decided on asking for the entire story. The door was opened by Mickey in his boxers.

 

“Hi Mick. Didn't know you'd be here.”

 

Her brother shrugged and let her step inside.

 

It wasn't obvious at first, but then little details popped up. Mickey's X-Box in front of the TV, his favorite mug filled with coffee on the table, and the picture the Milkovich siblings had took when they rented their first apartment together sitting next to Ian's Christmas family photo.

 

“Are you guys living together?”

 

Ian, who had just walked in the room, froze and looked at Mickey, frozen as well.

 

“No.” the redhead answered, looking weirdly honest.

 

“Oh don't give me that!” Mandy exclaimed. “Mickey's shit is everywhere! How long since you've been to your apartment Mick?”

 

“I... uh... My lease ended two weeks ago. My landlord was an asshole so I just gave him the key back, and I slept here that night, and...”

 

“And you never left?”

 

“I guess not... Half my stuff was already here anyway...”

 

Mandy looked between her brother and her best friend's incredulous matching faces, and she laughed, a full-on belly laugh in front of the stupidity of those two idiots.

 

“You dorks! You've been living together for two weeks without even realizing it! Oh my god, this is hilarious!!!”

 

~~~

 

Ian stared at the dark ceiling for a long time, feeling Mickey breathe softly against his bare chest.

 

“So... I guess we're living together, huh?”

 

“I guess so...”

 

“Do you want to move out?”

 

“Not really. Do you want me to move out?”

 

“No.”

 

Mickey raised himself on an elbow and kissed Ian tenderly.

 

“Good. So we're living together. Not like we never did before.”

 

Ian smiled.

 

“Can I say it?”

 

It had been a recurring question lately, when Ian felt like he couldn't hold the three little words in anymore, he just asked Mickey permission to say them. And it was a pretty good system, Ian wasn't abusing it, and Mickey said yes about ninety percent of the time. Like right now.

 

“Yes you can.”

 

“I love you.”

 

Mickey traced shy circles on Ian's torso with his finger, not looking up at him.

 

“You know, you don't have to ask anymore, you can say it whenever you want.”

 

Ian's smile threatened to break his face.

 

“Really? So I love you. I fucking love Mickey Milkovich.”

 

The redhead turned his boyfriend – yes, his boyfriend, fuck off – on his back and leaned above him, pecking his face and neck with kisses.

 

“I love you. I love you so fucking much it hurts sometimes. I. Love. You.”

 

Mickey took Ian's face in his hands to stop him from rambling, and pushed their lips together gently. When he pulled back, he looked straight into these beautiful green eyes.

 

“I love you too.”

 


	13. The truth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After Ian makes a little mistake, Mickey is left alone facing Iris and Mandy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I'm late again, but I've been really busy lately, and I'm not great at time-managing while I excel at procrastination...
> 
> On a non-related note, there is a Friends reference in this chapter. And I love Iris.

 

“Ah! Bite the dust woman! See, that's how it's done!”

 

“Such violence Mick!” Iris laughed as she put her controller down on the coffee table. “Do you talk to your girlfriend like that?”

 

Mickey shrugged, sitting back on the couch, and Mandy smirked behind Iris' back.

 

“Anyway,” the girl added, grabbing her can of soda and bringing it to her lips, unaware of the siblings' reactions to her comment. “Now I know that Princess Peach and her slow as fuck kart aren't much use...”

 

Mickey was about to make a snarky comment, but he was interrupted by Ian coming out of the bedroom dressed in a sharp suit. Mandy howled.

 

“Looking good Ian!”

 

“And me who thought we were just invited to play video games and eat leftover pizza...” Iris chipped in.

 

“Fuck you both.” the redhead said with a smile. “I have an interview in an hour, and I have to go now if I don't wanna be late.”

 

“So you're kicking us out?” Mandy asked with a pout.

 

“Nah,” Ian shook his head. “Stay as long as you want, just don't eat all my food.”

 

The girls agreed, and Ian leaned above the couch to kiss Mickey passionately. A kiss the other man reciprocated, until they both realized Iris was looking at them with eyes and mouth wide open. In her corner, Mandy tried her best not to laugh, but, to her surprise, Ian didn't scare away and just leaned in to first kiss Iris, and then Mandy with as much passion as he had kissed Mickey, before heading out of the apartment.

 

“What the fuck was that?” Iris exclaimed after the door closed behind the redhead.

 

“Don't know.” Mickey muttered while standing up to go grab himself a beer in the kitchen and hide his blushing cheeks. “Maybe some gay shit he picked up.”

 

“You did enjoy it though.” Iris smirked.

 

“Didn't.”

 

“You so enjoyed it Mick!” Mandy laughed.

 

“Shut up Mandy.”

 

Mickey raised his beer bottle and brought it to his lips. He wished he could drown in the liquid instead of facing these two girls with smiles bigger than their faces.

 

“I can't really blame you though...” Iris said dreamingly.” The fucker knows how to kiss...”

 

“Wouldn't know.” Mickey mumbled, still trying not to loose face. “S'not like I go around kissing a lot of dudes.”

 

“See, you say that,” Iris started, climbing off the couch to join Mickey in the kitchen. “But the energy you put in to deny ever kissing a guy, and not enjoying Ian's lips, makes me doubt you. Plus you totally kissed him back, like... I don't know... something automatic I would say? Like he kisses you like that way every time he leaves...”

 

The woman seemed to deduce the situation a little bit more with every word she spoke, like saying it out loud was making her understand. And Mickey drank his beer a little bit faster at the end of each sentence.

 

“Iris...” he warned, his voice sounding weak even to his own ears.

 

“No, no.” she kept going. “It's like... It's like you're a couple... But no, no, out little Milky-head is as straight as they come... Except he gets pissy when he fights with his little ginger boyfriend, or when said-boyfriend brings guys around to make him jealous. And Milky-head is happy when his boyfriend is happy, and he goes around his apartment like he owns the place... I think Milky-head played us, or at least he tried to, pretending to have this new awesome girlfriend he never bitched about, not even once, but we still didn't get to meet her. Except, _except_ she was under our nose all along, and Milky-head was finally, fucking finally, getting on the only person he had ever wanted for as long as I've known him!”

 

Iris ended her speech with the biggest smile Mickey had ever seen on her, and it was scary. She turned to Mandy – who was silently enjoying the show from the other side of the room.

 

“Were you surprised when you found out Mands? I'm not.”

 

“How do you know I already knew?” Mandy wondered, walking closer to Iris and her prey, aka Mickey, stuck against the fridge, looking like a deer in headlights.

 

“Because you're not freaking out.” Iris supplied. “And you let me have my fun. Not the typical reaction of a sister who just learned her big brother is taking it up the ass on the regular.”

 

Mickey opened his mouth to reply, but Iris stopped him by turning back to face him with her lips stretched into a giant smirk.

 

“Because yes, Mickey is taking it.” she said.

 

And Mandy laughed herself to tears.

 

~~~

 

Ian came back home to Mickey cleaning the dishes. God, he loved how domestic they had become, he just hoped he hadn't ruin things too much with his little kiss stunt that afternoon. He hadn't done it on purpose, he had just kissed Mickey like he always did before leaving the apartment, and then realized they weren't alone, and had tried to save it by kissing the girls too. It had been a weak move, but Mickey was still here, so maybe things hadn't gone that wrong after Ian had left. Maybe it was a good sign...

 

The black-haired man turned around when he heard the door close, and smiled to his boyfriend.

 

“Hey. How did the interview go?”

 

“Good.” Ian smiled back. “They seemed to like me enough. We'll see if they call.”

 

“I don't understand why you gotta have a college degree to do this shit though... Everybody post on Twitter and Facebook every single day, it's not that hard.”

 

“Yes, but unfortunately big companies like it better when they can hire someone with a degree that proves they know how to write. It doesn't have to make sense, it's just business. And hopefully good money for me.”

 

Mickey shrugged, and finished to dry the rest of the dishes in silence.

 

“You okay?” Ian asked after a while.

 

“Just thinking...” Mickey mumbled. “You're always the one to do the fucking...”

 

Ian laughed. He was honestly not expecting that, and he was fucking relieved that was what Mickey was thinking about, instead of _'I want to leave you because I'm freaking out that too many people know about us'_.

 

“True.” the redhead said after catching his breath. “But I thought we both liked it better that way. We can switch though if you want, just don't pull the same shit you did that first time in the locker room, it fucking hurt.”

 

“Again, I'm sorry about that. It was adrenaline or some shit.”

 

Ian wrapped his arms around his boyfriend's chest and rested his head in his neck.

 

“Didn't say I didn't like it. I just felt it for way too long afterward, and I think I'd like it better with lube.”

 

~~~

 

Ian didn't dare asking about the girls' reaction – and especially Iris's – after the kiss incident, but as they walked into the diner the next day he knew something was up. Especially when Mickey grabbed his hand and led them straight to Greta's office.

 

“What are you doing?” the redhead whispered, following after Mickey.

 

“Trust me.” the brunet stated, sounding half confident, but holding Ian's hand tighter as they walked up to Greta's desk.

 

“Milkovich. Gallagher. What gives me the pleasure?” the woman asked with a fake smile.

 

Mickey took a deep breath.

 

“I just want you to know that Ian and I are dating. It's not against employee's rules, I checked. And if you have a problem with two men...”

 

Greta raised her hand to silence him.

 

“It's okay. Thank you for telling me, it's about damn time I might add.”

 

Both men looked at each other. Had they been so obvious? Greta rolled her eyes.

 

“I installed surveillance cameras in the locker room last year when some employees reported stealing. Don't you remember?”

 

_Oh shit._

 

“You guys give a good show, but I'm glad I didn't also have cameras in the bathroom, cause I'd have enough footage to start my own homemade porn company.”

 

“What did she say?” asked a worried Iris when she saw Ian and Mickey come back from Greta's office with their faces as red as tomatoes.

 

“Uh...”

 

“Let's just say she has some...”

 

“... compromising videos...”

 

~~~

 

“You know what I was thinking?” Ian said pensively, putting his magazine down to be able to see Mickey's face.

 

“No, but I'm sure you're going to tell me.” the other man replied, looking down at the redhead laying on his lap.

 

“We should get tested.”

 

Mickey's hand stilled its stroking movements of Ian's hair, and the brunet raised an eyebrow.

 

“Tested?”

 

Ian hesitated for a second. Mickey was living with him, he had told him he loved him, they were officially together, people knew, but they had never agreed to be exclusive. Okay, maybe it was implied, and Ian felt slightly silly about demanding it to be explicitly said, but there was still a part of him believing that Mickey would leave the first chance he got.

 

“Yeah, like for STDs and stuff.” he said slowly, ready to deliver the little speech he had prepared. “I'm getting sick of condoms. Think of the economies we'd make if we didn't have to buy those anymore! And...”

 

“Okay.” Mickey interrupted him.

 

“Okay?”

 

“Yeah, I think it's a good idea.”

 

Ian smiled. If he wasn't careful, his heart might burst from happiness.

 

~~~

 

“Good morning. My name is Nurse Edmonds.” the woman announced as she walked into the room, a clipboard in hand. “Have you ever been tested before?”

 

“I have.” Ian answered; and after seeing Mickey's questioning eyebrows he added: “After the club, I figured it was safest... Didn't have anything though.”

 

The nurse nodded, took a few notes, and looked at Mickey. He shook his head.

 

“No.”

 

“I just poke your finger, take a little blood.” she explained. “And you get your results while you wait.”

 

Mickey nodded.

 

“Now I need to ask you a few questions, including intimate details about your sexual history. You can both stay in the same room, or we can do this individually.”

 

Ian looked at Mickey.

 

“I can leave if you want.”

 

“It's fine.” the brunet smiled. “I don't think I have much to tell anyway.”

 

The nurse sat down on a stool and read her first question.

 

“Approximately how many sexual partners have you had?”

 

Mickey looked at Ian, and the redhead understood he had to go first.

 

“Since my last test, not more than ten.”

 

The nurse nodded, took notes, and looked back up at Mickey.

 

“In my entire life? I'm not sure...”

 

“Is it more than ten?” the nurse inquired.

 

“Maybe more like twenty...”

 

“Only male partners?”

 

Mickey shook his head again.

 

“No, mostly women.”

 

“I'm his first.” Ian added with a mischievous smile, and Mickey gave him the finger; he didn't look embarrassed by Ian's comment though.

 

The nurse took a few notes again, and read her next question.

 

“How often do you used protection?”

 

“All the time.” Ian answered.

 

“Except that once...” Mickey supplied.

 

“Oh yeah, right.”

 

“Even during oral sex?” the nurse asked, and both men looked at each other with worried eyes.

 

“The chance of getting HIV from oral sex is extremely low.” the nurse explained. “But it's not zero. And you can also catch a lot of other STDs. You should always avoid having your partner ejaculate in your mouth, and/or use barriers such as condoms, natural rubber latex sheets, dental dams, or cut-open non-lubricated condoms.”

 

The two men nodded, looking utterly sheepish.

 

“I'm not here to scare you.” the nurse added. “I just want you to be aware of all the risks, so you can make choices for your sex life responsibly.”

 

~~~

 

“This is so romantic.” Mickey sighed as he sat next to his boyfriend in the waiting room of the clinic.

 

“I never said it was.” Ian smiled shyly. “But it's important.”

 

“I just can't stop imagining weird ass stuff crawling into my mouth when I... Ew!”

 

“Oh stop!” Ian laughed. “I'm seeing it too now, fuck Mick, you're ruining sex for me!”

 

“This fucking nurse ruined sex for me!” Mickey shot back.

 

“Mr Gallagher?”

 

Ian raised his head toward the front desk nurse.

 

“We have your results. As well as Mr Milkovich's.”

 

The two men stood up and grabbed the pieces of paper handed to them.

 

“Ready?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

They opened them at the same time.

 

“All clear.”

 

“Same.”

 

~~~

 

“So, how are we gonna celebrate?” Mickey asked between two kisses.

 

“Fuck me.”

 

It was said so low that the black-haired man wasn't sure he had heard it right. He raised his head to meet Ian's hooded eyes, and that only told him he hadn't imagined the words.

 

“Really?”

 

“Really. I want to feel you. Like that first time in the locker room...”

 

Mickey kissed his boyfriend with more purpose this time, while reaching blindly on the bedside table until he found the bottle of lube. He broke the kiss to slowly mouth at Ian's skin from neck to pelvis, leaving small marks here and there. When he reached Ian's already hard cock, Mickey took it in his mouth, licking it carelessly, before releasing it almost immediately. He opened the bottle, and coated a finger, kissing Ian's inner thigh while entering the digit between his ass cheeks. Mickey thrust his finger a few times, his mouth barely leaving Ian's skin.

 

“You good?”

 

“Yeah.” Ian breathed. “Keep going.”

 

The black-haired man obeyed, inserting a second finger and scissoring them for a moment, before entering a third finger. Ian hissed, but stroke Mickey's hair in encouragement.

 

“I'm good, I'm good.”

 

“You sure?”

 

“Yes, I'm not made of glass!”

 

Mickey smirked and stretched his fingers a little more. He had discovered a lot about sex with Ian, but it was only the second time he was actually going to fuck a guy, and he wanted to do it properly this time. He took his fingers out, before covering his dick with a significant amount of lube – he really wanted to do this right, or he knew he would hear about it for the six months to come, at the very least. He stroke himself a couple of times, before finally breaching in. Ian whined at the intrusion, and Mickey stilled, wanting not only to leave his partner the time to adjust, but also trying not to come right here and now. Ian felt so, so tight.

 

“Fuck Mick. So full... Just, come, come here.”

 

Mickey did his best to adapt their position without moving too much inside of Ian, and leaned above him so that they were at eye level. The redhead caressed Mickey's cheek, and left a small peck on his lips.

 

“I love you.”

 

“I love you too.”

 

And Mickey read in Ian's eyes the signal for him to start moving. He thrust slowly at first, enjoying all the different expressions on Ian's face, and feeling, feeling so much everywhere like his entire body was on fire, but a good fire, a fire he didn't want to stop burning.

 

“Harder.” Ian grunted at some point, and Mickey complied, already feeling the tightness in his lower stomach.

 

“Fuck. I'm not gonna last.”

 

“Me neither. Just... touch me.”

 

And Mickey did, he caught Ian's neglected, demanding dick in his hand and stroke it, matching the rhythm of his thrusts to the best of his abilities. It only took five, six strokes, before Ian came all over Mickey's hand and his own stomach. Mickey wasn't far behind, Ian's tightening ass sending him over the edge. He collapsed gracelessly on top of the redhead, and Ian left a kiss atop of his ruffled hair. Mickey closed his eyes, feeling Ian's heart beat under his cheek. All was good.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All the things the nurse says are coming straight from the US health department website. Please check it out, a healthy and safe sexual life is important. (It was my "teacher minute".)
> 
> So...  
> I decided to end this fic at chapter 13. I had another short storyline for the last two chapters, but I don't actually like it, and I think chapter 13 ends well. So here we go, this is over guys. Thank you for reading. I really appreciated the love you gave me all along this story. And I have so much more ideas and fics to come. Stay tune! ;)


	14. NOT A NEW CHAPTER

So, this is not a new chapter.

 

I just decided to end this fic at chapter 13. I had another short storyline for the last two chapters, but I don't actually like it, and I think chapter 13 ends well. So here we go, this is over guys. Thank you for reading. I really appreciated the love you gave me all along this story. And I have so much more ideas and fics to come. Stay tune! ;)

 

(I will delete this non-chapter in a few days, I just wanted to let you know that the fic is over.)

**Author's Note:**

> As always, comments and kudos are welcome! :)


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